Inspirational Symposium on Transitions to Sustainability
Inspirational Symposium on Transitions to Sustainability
On March 20, 2014 the CBS Public-Private Platform hosted, in corporation with the Sustainability Platform, a symposium on Transitions to Sustainability.
As introduction the symposium asked:
What kind of transformation is required to make society environmentally sustainable? Is environmental sustainability compatible with economic and social sustainability? Is green capitalism possible? If so, what will it take to achieve it?
The questions was based on the argument, that against the backdrop of resource depletion, ecosystem degradation and an accelerating climate crisis, environmental sustainability is widely accepted as a goal of paramount importance for individual private companies and for society at large, and on a national and global level. Importantly it is promoted by a growing number of public-private initiatives and it is articulated and supported at the highest levels of global governance: the UN, the IMF, the World Bank, the OECD, the G7, and the G20. However, while modest steps in the direction of a greener economy have been taken, overall progress is limited and insufficient in view of the magnitude of the challenges.
In this context, a topic that is often evaded is whether an economic system that is reliant on endless economic growth can be made sustainable and in this case what a transition to environmental sustainability will require, and the kind of public-private interaction this will require. OECD discourse, for instance, points to the triple goals of economic, environmental and social sustainability without discussing their prioritization or the inter-linkages, not to mention potential tensions between them.
Three great presentations - and three good discussants
Three keynotes and three discussants were invited for the symposium
Professor Peter Newell followed by reflections from Professor Stefano Ponte
Professor from University of Sussex Peter Newell stated: We need to think about the political economy and the power structures. Followed by a later argument, that the winners often are weak and dispersed, which only makes it more important to undertake more honest evaluation of the trade off. Iit's not a win win world. Ponte responded by stresseing an argument for the importance to ensure that green transformations leads to actual reductions in omissions rather than just gain in profits and followed: We need to look at actors, especially at international level, where coalitions have not been successful.
Newell is is Professor of International Relations, University of Sussex, author of Globalization and the Environment. Capitalism, Ecology and Power, Polity 2012, and co-author (with Matthew Paterson) of Climate Capitalism. Global Warming and the Transformation of the Global Economy, Cambridge University Press 2010.
Having worked with issues of environment and development, especially climate change, for over 18 years and conducted research and policy work for the governments of the UK, Sweden and Finland as well as international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Facility and the Inter-American Development Bank, Peter is an expert within the area. Read more about him here or here. Or read some of the material he suggested us to share following the symposium:
Globalization and the Environment: Capitalism, Ecology and Power http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0745647235.html
The Political Economy of the 'Just Transition' http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geoj.12008/abstract
The Political Economy of Energy Transitions http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13563467.2013.849674
Pursuing Clean Energy Equitably http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/pursuing-clean-energy-equitably
And a recent news story...Natural and social scientists develop new model of how 'perfect storm' of crises could unravel global system Nafeez Ahmed Friday 14 March 2014 theguardian.com http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/mar/14/nasa-civilisation-irreversible-collapse-study-scientists
Professor Max Koch followed by reflections from Associate Professor Ole Bjerg
In his presentation Professor Max Koch pointed to the importance of being aware of the structural issues in addressing sustainability under capitalist conditions. He further argued that the dialectics of the welfare states may lie in the in the ‘masses’’ ability to lead ecologically harmful lifestyles. Download Koch's presentation:koch_cbs_symposium_1803.ppt
Koch is professor of Social Policy, University of Lund, author of Capitalism and Climate Change, Palgrave Macmillan 2012. Max joined Lund University from Queen’s University Belfast in 2008. He completed both his PhD and his Habilitation in sociology at the Freie Universität Berlin. Koch's research is focused on the ways in which political and economic restructuring are reflected in the social structure with an emphasis on welfare and employment relations and in comparative perspective. More recently his research has started to combine these research interests with political ecology, and on synergies in climate change and social policies and on minimum income schemes in comparative perspective. Read more about Max here or here.
Follwing the presentation Koch suggested us to share:
His aticle about Capitalism and Climate Change. As well as one about Welfare after Growth: Theoretical Discussion and Policy Implications
Professor Ulrich Brand followed by reflections from Profesor Inge Røpke
Professor Ulrich Brand started: how can society integrate environmental questions? His argument was, that we should ask analytically to the logics of forms of living. Later he stressed that the question is not whether society is in tranformation, rather it is what the logic of this transformation is? Not least he asked Who decides over the development of society? Mostly investors do. How can we democratize this when transforming. Download his presentation here: 1403_copenhagen_trafo_symposium_u_brand_20march.ppt
Brand is Professor of Political Science, University of Vienna, and his recent publications on the topic include the article (co-authored with Markus Wissen) “Crisis and continuity of capitalist society-nature relationships: The imperial mode of living and the limits to environmental governance”, in Review of International Political Economy, 20, 4, 2013.
Read more about Brand here or here.
Ulrich suggested following for further reading:
Socioecological transformations
Socio-ecological trafo in Europe and Latin America in the field of energy politics
Professor and cluster facilitator at the PP cluster Global Regulation Morten Ougaard organised the event. Afterwards he expressed:
Many had come to hear the current thinking of three prominent European critical social science researchers on green growth and the sustainability challenge.
The three speakers agreed that there are important possibilities for a greening of capitalism, and that these should be pursued vigorously. They also were concerned whether this is enough in view of the magnitude of the environmental problems the world is facing, and that there are many unsolved governance problems, for instance in the balance between local initiatives and macro regulations and the political difficulties of the latter. The ensuing discussion showed that the audience had gotten much food for thought in this successful symposium.
Find more information about the PP cluster of Global Regulation here.