The future agenda of research for sustainable development Heide Hackmann Executive Director: International Social Science Council Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research
Overview The global environment for science and call for integration An international response: Future Earth A new charter for the social sciences? Shifting science policy narratives and their research system implications
Key messages The grand challenge for science is to help solve converging crises in ways that simultaneously safeguard planetary stewardship, social equity, and human wellbeing and security Research for global change and sustainability requires an inclusive agenda and integrated approach: integrated across disciplines/fields, geographies and societal sectors Social science knowledge is indispensable knowledge for transformations to a sustainable and just world Our research systems require radical innovation and renewal to meet the demands society now places on science
A global environment for science Climate change threatens our planet, our only home (IPCC, 2013) 7 out of 10 people live in countries where economic inequality has increased in the last 30 years (Oxfam, 2014) By the end of 2013, more than 50 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict and generalized violence (UNHCR, 2014) In developing regions about 1 in 5 lives on less than $1.25 a day. 1 in 7 in the world (MDG Report 2014) In 2012 almost 600 children died every day of AIDS-related causes (MDG Report 2014) In Sierra Leone 5 people are infected every hour by EBOLA (savethechildren.org)
The inseparability of environmental and social, political, cultural, economic problems The complexity of social-ecological systems: post-normal science, wicked problems * A new sense of urgency and unrelenting pressure on science to make a difference * Ravetz, 2004; Brown et al, 2010
The grand challenge for science: To contribute solutions to a convergence of planetary and social crises, working simultaneously for planetary stewardship, social equity, and human wellbeing and security
Growing consensus: Business as usual is not an option. We need new ways of producing knowledge and making sure it gets used We need integrated science
Integration: Working across disciplines/fields Inter-disciplinarity Promoting the joint, reciprocal framing, design, execution and application of research
Integration 2: Working globally International collaboration and comparison Harvesting multiple socio-geographic priorities, perspectives, approaches, methods and models
Integration 3: Working with society Transdisciplinarity Building open knowledge arenas in which researchers work with decision makers, policy shapers, practitioners, as well as actors from civil society and the private sector in the co-design and coproduction of knowledge, policy and practice
Future Earth: Integrated research for global sustainability To provide the knowledge required for societies in the world to face risks posed by global environmental change and to seize opportunities in a transition to global sustainability
A global platform for High quality Internationally collaborative Inter- and transdisciplinary Solutions-oriented research that is Co-designed and co-produced in partnership with nonacademic stakeholders
1991 1986 1996 2001 2012
Dynamic Planet Transformations towards Sustainability Global Development
Dynamic Planet projecting environment Models and Scenarios societal systems observing States, Trends, Drivers explaining understanding Critical Zones coasts tropical forests polar regions
Global Development clean air Stewardship of resources mining materials biodiversity Ecosystem services Trade-offs fisheries Equitable access food security water availability healthy environment
Transformations Processes and Options mega-cities economy development options Innovations trade-offs emerging technology assessment of policies Global and regional governance international law across sectors and scales
www.futureearth.org
H. Hackmann and A. Lera St. Clair ISSC Report, 2012 A new charter for the social sciences? We need more social science We need better social science But what kind of social science? What are the unique contributions that the social sciences can and must make to increase knowledge for more effective, equitable and sustainable solutions to the challenges of global change and sustainable development?
Climate Change Water Energy Food Land Policy Initiatives and Programmes Adaptation Mitigation Vulnerability Resilience Ecosystems Land Use Biodiversity Deforestation Population growth Migration Urbanisation Disasters Poverty, Inequality Conflict Security Geo-engineering Technology etc Development Green Economy Education/Science Communications Media Health Agriculture Transport Law etc Transformative Cornerstones of Social Science The social science questions that have to be asked regardless of the concrete issue being addressed
Consequences Interpretation Complexity Social lenses for understanding, rethinking and contesting global change as social change Change Responsibilities Decision Making
Mobilising the mainstream: bringing theoretical and empirical, basic and applied, quantitative and qualitative social science to bear on problems of global change and sustainable development From margin to centre: challenging the social sciences to take the lead in developing a new integrated, transformative science
Shifting science policy narratives: Mid 1940s 50s: Science, the Endless Frontier Late 1960s 80s: Strategic R&D Programming 1990s onwards: The Knowledge Economy Today: Towards science for a sustainable and just world?
Relevance: From the taken-for-granted promise of science to strategic science to innovation and economic growth to the transformative solutions space
Academic autonomy: From being unfettered by external constraints: autonomy as a right To conceptions of collaborating with society in securing the public good of S&T: autonomy as collaborative assurance * * Guston, 2000
The science-society relationship: From science and society to science for society and now science with society Who society is (who has a say in steering science) From governments To industry to the full range of stakeholders, incl. funders and citizens, social movements And whose knowledge counts From ivory tower expertise to multiple knowledge actors and a diversity of valid knowledge claims
The link between research, policy and practice: From the linear model to iterative interaction, feedback loops. and messy processes on both sides
Research systems fit for purpose? Calls for institutional innovation to integrate, mobilise and coordinate diverse knowledge actors and assets, practices and processes, challenging existing structures and practices What research is supported How research is supported How it is organised How it is evaluated and rewarded How researchers are trained
Thank you