transformation, as opposed to more incremental change, is required are all deeply
political. For many, the green transformation is like no other we have witnessed
so far. While history has witnessed numerous waves of disruptive economic and
social change, brought about by technology, war and shifts of cultural values –
from the Industrial Revolution, to the end of slavery to the rise of feminism
– none has been primarily driven by the goal of rendering the economy and existing
model of development more sustainable. That is not to say that key shifts have not
had positive environmental consequences. Think of the effect of the 1970s oil crisis
on rising investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, or the argument
that the ecological unsustainability of previous civilizations have been key factors
in their demise (Ponting, 2007). In most cases, however, the principal drivers and
goals were not the pursuit of a ‘green’ transformation.
The political nature of the green transformation is heightened because speed of
change is seen as essential. There is a sense of urgency that pervades current debates
about sustainability amid talk of tipping points, thresholds and planetary boundaries
(Rockström et al., 2009; Lenton, 2013). Furthermore, the threats of the Anthro -
pocene era have prompted calls for truly global responses (Crutzen and Steffen,
2003; Steffen et al., 2007) that must take place in today’s thoroughly multi-polar
world. The governance challenges of redirecting so many types of human activity
across so many levels are staggering and quite possibly unprecedented, prompting
calls to strengthen ‘earth system governance’ (Biermann, 2007; Biermann et al.,
2012a) and the social science of transformation (Leggewie and Messner, 2012a;
Brown et al., 2013).
The aim of the book is to engage with these debates, from a variety of
different perspectives and settings, and lay out some of the core challenges, tradeoffs and directions for a new politics of green transformation. Intellectually, getting
a handle on these challenges requires a fusion of insights from disciplines such
as anthropology, development studies, ecology, economics, geography, history,
international relations, political science, science and technology studies and
sociology, among others. We cover a range of sectors and issues from energy, food,
natural resources, transport, urban infrastructure and finance in a diversity of
settings from Denmark to China.
This interdisciplinary and multisited approach allows us to conceive of more
multidimensional understandings of politics. These include political economy and
political ecology (with an accent on material and structural forms of power and
their implications for questions of access and justice), to institutional politics
(focusing on national and global organizational forms) to discursive expressions of
power (through knowledge and values). The aim, collectively, is to offer a deeper
and more rounded understanding of and engagement with the politics of green
transformations, beyond a more narrow focus on institutions and policy, or the
perspectives of mainstream political science.
Our emphasis on transformations also moves beyond, while engaging with, the
substantial body of literature on sociotechnical transitions that cover some aspects
of these debates. Indeed, our focus on politics and broader questions of structural
2 Ian Scoones, Peter Newell and Melissa Leach
political. For many, the green transformation is like no other we have witnessed
so far. While history has witnessed numerous waves of disruptive economic and
social change, brought about by technology, war and shifts of cultural values –
from the Industrial Revolution, to the end of slavery to the rise of feminism
– none has been primarily driven by the goal of rendering the economy and existing
model of development more sustainable. That is not to say that key shifts have not
had positive environmental consequences. Think of the effect of the 1970s oil crisis
on rising investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, or the argument
that the ecological unsustainability of previous civilizations have been key factors
in their demise (Ponting, 2007). In most cases, however, the principal drivers and
goals were not the pursuit of a ‘green’ transformation.
The political nature of the green transformation is heightened because speed of
change is seen as essential. There is a sense of urgency that pervades current debates
about sustainability amid talk of tipping points, thresholds and planetary boundaries
(Rockström et al., 2009; Lenton, 2013). Furthermore, the threats of the Anthro -
pocene era have prompted calls for truly global responses (Crutzen and Steffen,
2003; Steffen et al., 2007) that must take place in today’s thoroughly multi-polar
world. The governance challenges of redirecting so many types of human activity
across so many levels are staggering and quite possibly unprecedented, prompting
calls to strengthen ‘earth system governance’ (Biermann, 2007; Biermann et al.,
2012a) and the social science of transformation (Leggewie and Messner, 2012a;
Brown et al., 2013).
The aim of the book is to engage with these debates, from a variety of
different perspectives and settings, and lay out some of the core challenges, tradeoffs and directions for a new politics of green transformation. Intellectually, getting
a handle on these challenges requires a fusion of insights from disciplines such
as anthropology, development studies, ecology, economics, geography, history,
international relations, political science, science and technology studies and
sociology, among others. We cover a range of sectors and issues from energy, food,
natural resources, transport, urban infrastructure and finance in a diversity of
settings from Denmark to China.
This interdisciplinary and multisited approach allows us to conceive of more
multidimensional understandings of politics. These include political economy and
political ecology (with an accent on material and structural forms of power and
their implications for questions of access and justice), to institutional politics
(focusing on national and global organizational forms) to discursive expressions of
power (through knowledge and values). The aim, collectively, is to offer a deeper
and more rounded understanding of and engagement with the politics of green
transformations, beyond a more narrow focus on institutions and policy, or the
perspectives of mainstream political science.
Our emphasis on transformations also moves beyond, while engaging with, the
substantial body of literature on sociotechnical transitions that cover some aspects
of these debates. Indeed, our focus on politics and broader questions of structural
2 Ian Scoones, Peter Newell and Melissa Leach