Challenging Research

In a series of events in 2021 entitled Challenging Research, we asked critical questions on the way we use and think about methodologies in sustainability research. About the series Faced…

group discussion

How do researchers’ roles relate to the methods they work with?

Throughout 2021, through a series of virtual events, we explored a wide range of methods that sustainability researchers are using and combining to both generate knowledge and contribute to positive…

Caring for and nurturing the soil – Umbela Conversatorio #4

In connection with our 2021 Methods theme, the Mexico-based NGO Umbela – Transformaciones Sostenibles has held a series of online events on the theme of ‘Cultivating Knowledges’. In this fourth…

Gathering knowledges – Umbela Conversatorio #3

In connection with our 2021 Methods theme, the Mexico-based NGO Umbela – Transformaciones Sostenibles has held a series of online events on the theme of ‘Cultivating Knowledges’. In this third…

Seed exchange

Regulating technologies in diverse development contexts – looking back to look forward

by Adrian Ely, Vanesa Lowenstein and Yuhan Bao As part of the STEPS Centre’s final event on 8 December, we’ll be reflecting on the changes since the Centre’s project ‘Rethinking…

The ‘Methods bazaar’: what did we learn about transdisciplinary methods for sustainability?

What methods can help to ‘open up’ and ‘broaden out’ pathways to sustainability, revealing alternatives to one-track visions of progress and expertise? Sustainability challenges – from Covid-19 to climate change,…

COP26: Two worlds talked past each other – or never even met

At the 2021 UN climate change conference in Glasgow, moving between the corporate slickness of the official “Blue Zone” (a UN-managed space which hosts the negotiations) and the wider fringe…

Why carbon offsetting through tree planting won’t help solve the climate crisis

This is the second in a pair of blog posts focusing on tree planting, climate change and biodiversity. Read the first here. The first phase of the delayed Biodiversity Convention…

Is mass tree-planting the answer to biodiversity and climate challenges?

Tree planting and ‘nature-based’ solutions are presented as a way to address biodiversity and tackle climate change at a massive scale. But in some cases, these schemes can undermine livelihoods…