by Adrian Ely (co-lead, ‘Pathways’ Network), with contributions from Joanes Atela, Mirna Inturias, Dylan McGarry, Iokiñe Rodríguez & Patrick Van Zwanenberg Working with the World Social Science Council’s ‘Transformations to Sustainability’ programme brings the privilege of engaging with an incredible range of scholars and practitioners from across the globe. The programme’s three transformative knowledge networks…
Research, convening and bridging: sharing insights from the ISSC’s Transformative Knowledge Networks
How do we end the dominance of rich countries over sustainability science?
by Patrick van Zwanenberg, Anabel Marin & Adrian Ely With the new Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN last year, SciDev.Net has published a timely report on the global status of sustainability science. Sustainability science (defined as ‘research that supports and drives sustainable development’) is growing significantly as a proportion of world scientific output,…
Four neglected challenges for China’s low carbon future
Last year ended with a momentous political step forward on climate change. The Paris Agreement, signed at the COP21 climate conference in December, requires countries to work together to meet and surpass their ‘intended nationally determined contributions’ (INDCs) with an objective of limiting global average temperature change to 2⁰C, and an aspiration of keeping within…
SDGs: time to rethink energy infrastructure?
As the new Sustainable Development Goals are launched this week, attention will be focused on some of the great global challenges that face our world. They also give us a chance to think about how to do things differently. One of the big questions is how processes of industralization and innovation can really create the…
WSSF 2015: What kinds of alliances create transformative knowledge?
In advance of the World Social Science Forum I have been in Durban with an inspiring group of researchers and activists to discuss transformations to sustainability. It has been incredibly useful to share insights and perspectives over the past three days. The workshop was organised by the International Social Science Council. With seven other groups,…
WSSF 2015: What role can social science play in working towards a just world?
Nearly a thousand delegates from across 84 countries are gathering right now in Durban, South Africa, for the third World Social Science Forum. The first similar forum ‘One Planet – World Apart’, was held in 2009 in Bergen, Norway. The 2013 forum, ‘Social Transformations and the Digital Age’, took place in Montreal, Canada. The current…
Our Common Future day 1: Climate science & climate politics in Paris
STEPS member Adrian Ely is at the Our Common Future conference in Paris, and has sent this blogpost looking back on Day 1. The conference runs until Friday. Read our feature on climate, COP21 and sustainability here. The opening plenary of the ‘Our Common Future under Climate Change’ conference – the biggest international meeting of…
Pro-poor, low carbon energy conversations across the STEPS global consortium
I was in Nairobi last week for the launch of the Africa hub of the STEPS Global Consortium. During the three day event, I learned a great deal about developments in low carbon energy from across the continent. Reflecting on last week’s launch, I’ve felt a growing sense of excitement at the different forms of…
GM Nation or GM Planet? How to involve citizens in decisions about transgenic crops
The UK’s GM Nation? public debate – conducted over a decade ago, tried to include the voices of citizens in decision-making over transgenic crops. With recent decisions by China and India possibly signalling a shift of opinion against GM in these ‘rising powers’, what kinds of institutions are required to enable democratic governance of these…
More than just a “clean energy race”? BRICS invesment and innovation could lead the way on green transformation
By Adrian Ely On the sidelines of the World Cup in Brazil this year, another competition will be the subject of conversation amongst the delegations attending this year’s BRICS summit, also in Brazil. Which of the ‘rising powers’ is winning the ‘clean energy race’? The sixth summit meeting of the group known as the ‘BRICS’…