Parallel Session A - Presentation by Andy Stirling
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The document discusses themes around steering directions for emerging green technologies that are often neglected, including direction, diversity, and democracy. It argues that green transformations should not focus solely on carbon and risk, but must make space for politics and challenging incumbent systems. Diversity of approaches and inclusion of excluded voices are important to build trust and robustness, rather than optimizing a single transition pathway or set of technologies. Public engagement should empower grassroots innovation and open up options, rather than close down debate or justify top-down agendas. Sustainability must prioritize democracy, equality, and be driven by hopes rather than fears.
Parallel Session A - Presentation by Andy Stirling
- 1. www.steps-centre.org/ www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/ www.multicriteria-mapping.org www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/people/peoplelists/person/7513 Steering Directions for Emerging Technologies: beyond “risk, trust and public engagement” Andy Stirling SPRU & STEPS Centre University of Sussex presentation to OECD Sustainable Green Growth and Development Forum Enabling the Next Industrial Revolution: systems innovation for green growth, OECD Headquarters, Paris 15th December 2015
- 2. Green Transformations are about Sustainability 17 goals; 169 targets; 304 indicators; 196 countries over 15 years; underscore the inherent diversity and complexity of the challenge … not carbon alone (& pyrolysis can be dangerous)
- 3. this session RISK TRUST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT Some neglected themes DIRECTION DIVERSITY DEMOCRACY ‘Green’ is not self evident. So: queries not just about how fast? But which way? Mr Gurria mentions, but then not discussed. Not just challenges; strategies, contexts, perspectives. Not single choice between Rotmans’ old / new; Nemet’s push / pull Hardly mentioned so far. Geels refers to socio-technical system change. Beinhocker highlights optimising markets.
- 4. RISK TRUST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT DIRECTION DIVERSITY DEMOCRACY For OECD, it’s member states and wider international stakeholders address: - key knowledge gaps - best practice - further work areas Some neglected themes
- 6. RISK DIRECTION Real drivers of global moves in sustainable directions have arisen from hope-inspired collective action by social movements Recognise green transforrmations as inherently political not about managing narrow technical expert risk-based fears
- 7. RISK DIRECTION make space for politics, not just policy … and not carbon alone
- 9. RISK DIVERSITY Go beyond ‘hammer’ of simple risk metrics, assuming incumbency, many uncertainties eg: IP-driven monoculture transgenic crops, rather than marker assist, cisgenics, open source participatory breeding, eco-farming Diversity is the most robust response – adaptation, agility, flexibility, reversibility
- 10. RISK DIVERSITY tools to highlight uncertainties about green directions
- 11. RISK DEMOCRACY
- 12. RISK DEMOCRACY As in founding values of science itself, plurality is a source of robustness be careful about optimising models, RCTs, aggregated evidence based policy empower interactive models, civic research community monitoring, citizen science,
- 13. RISK DEMOCRACY prioritise not only interests but knowledges of most excluded
- 14. TRUST DIRECTION
- 15. TRUST DIRECTION Trust is a mutual social quality… So why do policy discussions emphasise trust by powerless of powerful, not other way? Incumbent interests around innovation systems must trust society to do steering Actions to discontinue entrenched regimes are as crucial as innovating new systems
- 16. TRUST DIRECTION be clear & direct in challenging incumbent system power
- 17. TRUST DIVERSITY
- 18. TRUST DIVERSITY Asserting 1 managed top-down transition can impede trust: diverse transformations Focus less on ‘scaling up’ one privileged strategy - and more on seeding diverse repertoires and portfolios of pathways No more ‘road maps’ with just one road
- 19. TRUST DIVERSITY not one transition – no more ‘road maps’ with only one road
- 20. TRUST DEMOCRACY
- 21. TRUST DEMOCRACY Much talk of quality, longevity, lifestyle choices – but total omission of equality Treated as if luxury. Yet in knowledge and action, equality overturns entrenched power From education… to empowerment From responsibility… to accountability From ‘sound science’… to transparency From smart innovation… to open innovation
- 24. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT DIRECTION participate for legitimacy not legitimation Drive for aggregation and consensus is about justifying – “what can drones do?” Instead, all policy appraisal should open up implications of diverse choices
- 25. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT DIRECTION participation is for opening up, not closing down pathways
- 27. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT DIVERSITY beware impatient top-down language of urgency: “five years to save the planet” Grassroots innovation & social technology can seem slower, but is fast if time is right importance shown by Danish wind as crucial basis for current renewable surge
- 28. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT DIVERSITY empower and fund grassroots and social innovation
- 30. DEMOCRACY PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT Brundtland highlighted greater democracy – uninvited is more crucial than invited Previous transforms driven by bottom-up culture change, not top down policy. Emphasise and reinvigorate democracy, Only fulcrum strong enough to bear load.
- 32. RISK TRUST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT DIRECTION DIVERSITY DEMOCRACY make space for politics, not just policy … and not carbon alone tools to highlight uncertainties about green directions prioritise not only interests but knowledges of most excluded be clear & direct in challenging incumbent system power not one transition – no more ‘road maps’ with only one road empower and fund grassroots and social innovation participation is for opening up, not closing down pathways sustainability transformations are about hopes, not fears prioritise inclusion, equality; not responsibility and smartness
Editor's Notes
- #2: roland: analytic believe in method, intuitive believe in results Abstract The governance of science and technology is conditioned by some pervasive fallacies and fantasies. None are more extensive or deeply embedded, than those concerning the ability of human agency deliberately to control key features of interest in the world. Aspects and implications of the associated dilemmas arise both in the ways knowledge itself is understood, as well as the styles of intervention that society seeks to undertake. Common to both areas, are the neglected dynamics of power - encouraging exaggeration both of the quality of knowledge and the tractability of action. Focusing on the example of energy systems, this talk will quickly review some of the practical policy implications. It will argue for attention to a range of neglected 'broader based' methods for 'opening up' policy appraisal of energy systems. It will also conclude for greater attention to governance strategies that do not depend on claims and aspirations to control. Again, some practical implications will be discussed relating to resilience rather than stability in energy systems and transformation rather than deterministic transition. In all these respects, a concrete energy policy strategy that repeatedly comes to the fore is that of deliberate diversification.