My presentation for the LCS-Rnet and ISAP conference in Yokohama on the need to open up the low carbon agenda, develop more transformative science and new tools
Workshop - Best of Both Worlds_ Combine KG and Vector search for enhanced R...
Transition management yokohama
1. Transition Management for Sustainability
and the role of cities
Dr. Derk Loorbach
LCSRnet, Yokohama, 22-07-2013
2. DRIFT
• Dutch Research Institute For Transitions,
Rotterdam with 18 employees
• Established 2004 as part of the national
transition research program KSI
• Action research institute; (international)
fundamental and applied research, consultancy,
academic/postgraduate education
• STRN: 600+ members globally
5. Persistent unsustainability
• Current socio-economic systems are inherently
unsustainable
– Economically, ecologically and socially
• Incremental improvement is not enough and CO2 is only
one of the problems
– Sub-optimization might make things worse
• Current crises are symptoms of non-linear systemic
shifts happening
– We need to consider these as windows of opportunity for major
change towards sustainability
7. Dutch Research Institute For Transitions
Transitions
Long-term (one or two generations) fundamental change ofLong-term (one or two generations) fundamental change of
structure, culture and practices in a societal (sub)systemstructure, culture and practices in a societal (sub)system
– culture:culture: collective set of values, norms, perspectives (sharedcollective set of values, norms, perspectives (shared
orientation), paradigmsorientation), paradigms
– structure:structure: physical infrastructure, economic infrastructure,physical infrastructure, economic infrastructure,
institutions, rules, regulations, collective routinesinstitutions, rules, regulations, collective routines
– practices:practices: behaviour, operation, implementationbehaviour, operation, implementation
Periodic, non-linear systemic shift common in ecological and socio-Periodic, non-linear systemic shift common in ecological and socio-
economic systemseconomic systems
Paradigm to analyse and influence complex societal changeParadigm to analyse and influence complex societal change
8. Dutch Research Institute For Transitions
Transition levels
Macro-level: landscape
autonomous trends,
paradigms, slow changes
Meso-level: regime
Dominant structure, culture
and practices
Micro-level: niches
innovative ideas, projects,
technologies, niche actors
Based on Geels and Kemp, 2001
9. Dutch Research Institute For Transitions
Transition phases
predevelopment
tipping phase
reconfiguration
stabilisation
Based on Rotmans et al, 2001
Sustainable
Society?
enhanced lock-in
decline
Time
10. Japanese energy transition?
Regime:
High energy consumption
Cheap prices
Nuclear and imported
fossil
Landscape
Climate
change/policies
Resouce issues
Demography
Economic change
Niches: alt. Technologies, new practices
and regulations (feed-in), new business
?
11. Sustainability and Transitions
• Transitions are rare but common processes and
most likely do not automatically lead to
sustainability
• Sustainability itself is inherently ambiguous,
contested and uncertain
• It is about the process of sustainable
development rather than the end goal
13. Transition governance principles
• long-termlong-term thinking as the basis for short term policythinking as the basis for short term policy
• thinking in terms of multiple domains (multi-domain),thinking in terms of multiple domains (multi-domain),
different actors (multi-actor),different actors (multi-actor), different levels (multi-level)different levels (multi-level)
• learning as an important aim for policy (‘learning-by-doing’learning as an important aim for policy (‘learning-by-doing’
and ‘doing-by-learning’)and ‘doing-by-learning’)
• orient governance towards system innovation besidesorient governance towards system innovation besides
system improvementsystem improvement
• keeping options open, exploring multiple pathwayskeeping options open, exploring multiple pathways
• selective participation focusing on frontrunnersselective participation focusing on frontrunners
14. Transition Governance Framework
Monitoring,
evaluating
and learning
Institutional
and
structural
changes,
new
networks/
coalitions
Breakthrough actions,
projects and initiatives,
new organisations
Problem structuring,
shared sense of urgency,
guiding visions
16. society
Transition arenasRegular arenas
- Short term
- Peloton
- Incremental change
- Problem- and goal oriented
- Long term
- Frontrunners
- System-innovation
- Problem- and goal searching
Transition arenas
17. Transition Management Framework
Monitoring,
evaluating
and learning
Developing
images
coalitions
and
transition-
agendas
Mobilizing actors and
executing projects and
experiments
establishment of
transition arenas, shared
problem definitions and
visions
24. • Ghent, great place to live
• Locally creating added value
• Energetic city, intelligent cycles
• Ghentenaar home in the city
Transition arena Ghent (Belgium)
25. 20 cultural
organizations
> 100.000
visitors
Transition
University
Ghent
Research
biogas from
biodegr.
Mobility arena
938 mobbers
Support for SMEs
Climate arena
Ghent
(Belgium)
Inspiration to
political parties
CWG Urban
Farming
CWG Energy Efficiency in business
CWG Valorisation waste water and
biodegradables
CWG Art Sector
KWG mobiliteit
CWG consumer pusher market
KWG UGent
Assessment
of
potential
for
ESCO’s
CEIP meets
GMS
27. New dynamics – new agenda
• Structural changes taking place requiring new
strategies
• Scientific: understanding tipping points,
selection, institutional change, …
• Societal: mobilising critical mass, destabilising
unsustainable regimes, building new institutions
28. Transition governance principles
(acceleration)
• Coordination accelerating transition dynamics
• Guiding build-up towards sustainability
• ‘Controlled’ break-down
• Safe-guarding diversity and flexibility
• Dealing with/anticipating resistance and barriers
• Leading roles for transformative business, policy,
research citizens, networks
29. Tools TM 2.0
tipping point
ethics
transition
potential
community engagement
communiciation
& discourse
financing (e.g. joint purchase)
empowerment
coalition building
business cases
cost-benefit
system analysis
arena
agendaexperiments
evaluation
TM
power analysis
institutionalization
power strategy
social movement
30. The need for global transition governance
• Current progress is insufficient to meet global goals
– Institutional and technological approaches do not deliver the
space and guidance for acceleration
• There is a need for more progressive, socio-economic
and frontrunner oriented governance strategies
– There are many positive initiatives and solutions but they do
not scale up
• The transition framework helps to enable research and
governance for transitions but requires new roles
– Challenge is always to adapt TM to context, this requires skill,
knowledge and competence
32. Thank you for your attention
For more information and publications:
loorbach@drift.eur.nl
www.drift.eur.nl
www.transitionsnetwork.org
www.twitter.com/drk75
Notes de l'éditeur
(Mitigation in Urban areas and Solutions for Innovative Cities)
