Table 11.1 helps to categorize existing approaches and actors. On their own,
none of them will achieve the green transformation. Most observers would agree
that the bottom-up and top-down approaches need to be combined and that
multilevel governance is needed (Bulkeley and Newell, 2010, p3). But which force
can bring this about? Recall that this is the first transformation in history that has
to be achieved purposefully and against a deadline. In other words, the task of
accelerating the process takes centre stage.
Where can this acceleration come from? Here we turn again to Table 11.1, in
particular the last two lines, which focus on the range of relevant actors and
the motives of these actors. Analysis of these actors and motives then needs to take
four critical steps: first, recognize that no single actor has the resources to bring
about the green transformation; second, recognize that within government, civil
society and business there are actors seeking to block or slow down the green trans -
formation. Third, attention needs to focus on supportive alliances across these
categories. Fourth, including actors with different motives helps to understand and
accelerate the green transformation. The transformative alliance becomes the
central concept. Let us elaborate.
Bringing about green transformations requires resources of different types:
expertise, money, organizational capacity, legitimacy and leadership. These resources
tend to be distributed over a range of public, private and civic actors. It is therefore
useful to concentrate on alliances between actors in government, business and civil
society.
Who, then, can be considered a member of such an alliance? Is the deciding
criterion motivation or action? While it is tempting to let motivation count and
opt for an alliance of the like-minded, this is a limiting step to take. There is a range
of actors that can support the green transformation through their action (such as
investing, providing expertise, lobbying) but their motive need not be to mitigate
climate change; the main motive might be to secure energy, to build competitive
green industries or to foster green jobs, with climate change mitigation at best a
‘co-benefit’. In other words, there is a potential for alliances that include actors whose
priority is not environmental sustainability. This can be a ‘game changer’ in the
dynamics of the transformation. It is supported by historical research which shows
actor groups with differing intentions advancing the change in a specific direction
(WBGU, 2011, p85, drawing on research by Osterhammel, 2014).
Such alliances seem to have been important in both China and Europe. In
Denmark, for example, the experimentation with wind energy received substantial
support from politicians and business leaders concerned with energy security, in
the wake of various oil crises. Actors with environmental motivations played a role
at the start and increased in importance over time, but they were never sufficient.
Actors motivated by the chance to build a globally competitive hub (for providing
wind-energy solutions and creating highly paid jobs) have played a big role. In
China, such alliances were equally if not more relevant. China’s massive investment
in renewable energy was not driven primarily by concerns with global climate
change but by concerns to secure energy and ambitions to build new competitive
Green transformation: is there a fast track? 177
none of them will achieve the green transformation. Most observers would agree
that the bottom-up and top-down approaches need to be combined and that
multilevel governance is needed (Bulkeley and Newell, 2010, p3). But which force
can bring this about? Recall that this is the first transformation in history that has
to be achieved purposefully and against a deadline. In other words, the task of
accelerating the process takes centre stage.
Where can this acceleration come from? Here we turn again to Table 11.1, in
particular the last two lines, which focus on the range of relevant actors and
the motives of these actors. Analysis of these actors and motives then needs to take
four critical steps: first, recognize that no single actor has the resources to bring
about the green transformation; second, recognize that within government, civil
society and business there are actors seeking to block or slow down the green trans -
formation. Third, attention needs to focus on supportive alliances across these
categories. Fourth, including actors with different motives helps to understand and
accelerate the green transformation. The transformative alliance becomes the
central concept. Let us elaborate.
Bringing about green transformations requires resources of different types:
expertise, money, organizational capacity, legitimacy and leadership. These resources
tend to be distributed over a range of public, private and civic actors. It is therefore
useful to concentrate on alliances between actors in government, business and civil
society.
Who, then, can be considered a member of such an alliance? Is the deciding
criterion motivation or action? While it is tempting to let motivation count and
opt for an alliance of the like-minded, this is a limiting step to take. There is a range
of actors that can support the green transformation through their action (such as
investing, providing expertise, lobbying) but their motive need not be to mitigate
climate change; the main motive might be to secure energy, to build competitive
green industries or to foster green jobs, with climate change mitigation at best a
‘co-benefit’. In other words, there is a potential for alliances that include actors whose
priority is not environmental sustainability. This can be a ‘game changer’ in the
dynamics of the transformation. It is supported by historical research which shows
actor groups with differing intentions advancing the change in a specific direction
(WBGU, 2011, p85, drawing on research by Osterhammel, 2014).
Such alliances seem to have been important in both China and Europe. In
Denmark, for example, the experimentation with wind energy received substantial
support from politicians and business leaders concerned with energy security, in
the wake of various oil crises. Actors with environmental motivations played a role
at the start and increased in importance over time, but they were never sufficient.
Actors motivated by the chance to build a globally competitive hub (for providing
wind-energy solutions and creating highly paid jobs) have played a big role. In
China, such alliances were equally if not more relevant. China’s massive investment
in renewable energy was not driven primarily by concerns with global climate
change but by concerns to secure energy and ambitions to build new competitive
Green transformation: is there a fast track? 177