Towards sustainability - yes and how?

There is a growing consensus that a more fundamental shift in society is needed to maintain and improve the carrying capacity of nature and, accordingly,  the well-being of humans. The question is no longer why, but how. The goals are ambitious and there is a strong sense of urgency calling of agency at different levels and sectors, including research. , November 2024, researchers gathered together to discuss, where we are with the “sustainability transformation research” which has been ongoing for the past ten years now. From the presentations given by speakers from ,  and  and discussion followed we identified three take home messages advancing  sustainability transformations of individual and societal scales: agency, justice, and hope. 

Both deep and shallow leverage points are needed

Sustainability is increasingly approached from the perspective of agency in addition to societal and structural perspectives. In sustainability transitions, individuals and communities including citizens, policy- and decision makers, private sector actors as well as researchers and research communities, have different positions, roles and responsibilities to advance change. Consequently, the research and development activities  focus on the topics like capabilities and efficacy of individuals, role of various public and private and formal and informal institutions in enabling  change. While policies and market-mechanisms are needed to steer the change, to target the deeper leverage points, learning and unlearning, is also necessary  for systemic and long term change, Linda Rosengren, from Luke, reminded in her presentation. 

Agency for sustainability transformation brings together beliefs, values and worldview (i.e., personal sphere of transformation) with policy and decision-making (i.e., systemic sphere of transformation) and specific actions, interventions and strategies and behaviours (i.e. practical sphere) that directly contribute to the desired outcome , explained  referring to Karen O’Brien’s famous framework (). She also reminded about the power of expectations that may differ between people. Accordingly, research on sustainability needs to better acknowledge such complexities. Here the effort is to create connections between different thematic areas, policy sectors, disciplines, and between humans and nature. Inter- and transdisciplinary research and new educational paradigms are essential for moving towards this direction, Vainio insisted.  

Big picture and systems thinking help to identify the blind spots

As requested change is rapid and concerns lives of individuals, communities and non-human animals in various places, justice is increasingly becoming a key issue in our societies. Especially climate justice  is receiving more and more attention globally, but also other sustainability questions and interventions face inequalities, power imbalances and structural causes of vulnerability. It is increasingly recognized that we cannot necessarily find win-win solutions and avoid trade-offs between the environmental, social and economy. Instead, we inevitably face inequalities, which, then, should be acknowledged and governed. Here, the role of understanding the “big picture”, assessing the impacts of the policies and ongoing climate change and biodiversity to identify the trade-offs and recognise the most vulnerable are needed, as highlighted by .

Hope keeps us in action!

In this era, we are working on sustainability transformations along  with geopolitical tensions and major uncertainties. That admittedly adds new layers on agency and decision making across at all scales. In such situations, one may feel worried about the future, and thus the importance of optimism and hopeful thinking are increasing. Thus, we should actively target future-oriented thinking and positive visions. But what about critical thinking in this context? As  we should critically reflect also our envisioning:  “Whose vision is the sustainability transition based on, who benefits, and how are the harms distributed globally and in gendered ways?”

Societies steer and make important decisions relevant for sustainability transformations. Since municipal elections will take place soon, research and researchers, obviously, could better support municipalities in encouraging sustainability transformations. Towards this aim, understanding of disruptions and destabilisations in socio-technical regimes are conceptual promises for us researchers as  discussed by . 

Municipal elections in April 2025 will be a promising opportunity for researchers and research communities to reflect sustainability transformations in local contexts. To share experiences of challenges and opportunities, agencies and needed capabilities at the municipal level, we invite researchers and students to join the next Viikki sustainability research seminar to discuss . Municipalities play a critical role in driving and managing sustainability transformations at regional and local levels. They govern key sectors such as housing through urban planning, energy infrastructures through permitting small and medium plants, and food systems in the provision of public services such as school canteens. Understanding the ways in which municipalities steer and make decisions, as well as the role of research in such processes is crucial for fostering effective sustainability practices. In the seminar we will focus on energy, housing, and food systems and get insights from researchers working in the frontiers of the sustainability transformations in these systems.

Reference:

O’Brien Karen (2018) Is the 1.5°C target possible? Exploring the three spheres of transformation. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability: 31: 153-160.