Disruptive seeds: a scenario approach to explore power shifts in sustainability transformations

Over the last 2 decades, it has become increasingly evident that incremental adaptation to global environmental challenges—particularly climate change—no longer suffices. To make matters worse, systemic problems such as social inequity and unsustainable use of resources prove to be persistent. These...

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Main Authors: Rutting, Lucas, Vervoort, Joost M., Mees, Heleen, Pereira, Laura, Veeger, Marieke, Muiderman, Karlijn, Mangnus, Astrid C, Winkler, Klara, Olsson, Per, Hichert, Tanja, Lane, Richard, Pergher, Bruno Bottega, Christiaens, Laura, Bansal, Nivedita, Hendriks, Abe, Driessen, Peter P.J.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/127732
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author Rutting, Lucas
Vervoort, Joost M.
Mees, Heleen
Pereira, Laura
Veeger, Marieke
Muiderman, Karlijn
Mangnus, Astrid C
Winkler, Klara
Olsson, Per
Hichert, Tanja
Lane, Richard
Pergher, Bruno Bottega
Christiaens, Laura
Bansal, Nivedita
Hendriks, Abe
Driessen, Peter P.J.
author_browse Bansal, Nivedita
Christiaens, Laura
Driessen, Peter P.J.
Hendriks, Abe
Hichert, Tanja
Lane, Richard
Mangnus, Astrid C
Mees, Heleen
Muiderman, Karlijn
Olsson, Per
Pereira, Laura
Pergher, Bruno Bottega
Rutting, Lucas
Veeger, Marieke
Vervoort, Joost M.
Winkler, Klara
author_facet Rutting, Lucas
Vervoort, Joost M.
Mees, Heleen
Pereira, Laura
Veeger, Marieke
Muiderman, Karlijn
Mangnus, Astrid C
Winkler, Klara
Olsson, Per
Hichert, Tanja
Lane, Richard
Pergher, Bruno Bottega
Christiaens, Laura
Bansal, Nivedita
Hendriks, Abe
Driessen, Peter P.J.
author_sort Rutting, Lucas
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Over the last 2 decades, it has become increasingly evident that incremental adaptation to global environmental challenges—particularly climate change—no longer suffices. To make matters worse, systemic problems such as social inequity and unsustainable use of resources prove to be persistent. These challenges call for, such is the rationale, significant and radical systemic changes that challenge incumbent structures. Remarkably, scholarship on sustainability transformations has only engaged with the role of power dynamics and shifts in a limited fashion. This paper responds to a need for methods that support the creation of imaginative transformation pathways while attending to the roles that power shifts play in transformations. To do this, we extended the “Seeds of Good Anthropocenes” approach, incorporating questions derived from scholarship on power into the methodology. Our ‘Disruptive Seeds’ approach focuses on niche practices that actively challenge unsustainable incumbent actors and institutions. We tested this novel approach in a series of participatory pilot workshops. Generally, the approach shows great potential as it facilitates explicit discussion about the way power shifts may unfold in transformations. It is a strong example of the value of mixing disciplinary perspectives to create new forms of scenario thinking—following the call for more integrated work on anticipatory governance that combines futures thinking with social and political science research into governance and power. Specifically, the questions about power shifts in transformations used in this paper to adapt the Seeds approach can also be used to adapt other future methods that similarly lack a focus on power shifts—for instance, explorative scenarios, classic back-casting approaches, and simulation gaming.
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spelling CGSpace1277322024-05-01T08:19:54Z Disruptive seeds: a scenario approach to explore power shifts in sustainability transformations Rutting, Lucas Vervoort, Joost M. Mees, Heleen Pereira, Laura Veeger, Marieke Muiderman, Karlijn Mangnus, Astrid C Winkler, Klara Olsson, Per Hichert, Tanja Lane, Richard Pergher, Bruno Bottega Christiaens, Laura Bansal, Nivedita Hendriks, Abe Driessen, Peter P.J. climate change adaptation transformation empowerment governance Over the last 2 decades, it has become increasingly evident that incremental adaptation to global environmental challenges—particularly climate change—no longer suffices. To make matters worse, systemic problems such as social inequity and unsustainable use of resources prove to be persistent. These challenges call for, such is the rationale, significant and radical systemic changes that challenge incumbent structures. Remarkably, scholarship on sustainability transformations has only engaged with the role of power dynamics and shifts in a limited fashion. This paper responds to a need for methods that support the creation of imaginative transformation pathways while attending to the roles that power shifts play in transformations. To do this, we extended the “Seeds of Good Anthropocenes” approach, incorporating questions derived from scholarship on power into the methodology. Our ‘Disruptive Seeds’ approach focuses on niche practices that actively challenge unsustainable incumbent actors and institutions. We tested this novel approach in a series of participatory pilot workshops. Generally, the approach shows great potential as it facilitates explicit discussion about the way power shifts may unfold in transformations. It is a strong example of the value of mixing disciplinary perspectives to create new forms of scenario thinking—following the call for more integrated work on anticipatory governance that combines futures thinking with social and political science research into governance and power. Specifically, the questions about power shifts in transformations used in this paper to adapt the Seeds approach can also be used to adapt other future methods that similarly lack a focus on power shifts—for instance, explorative scenarios, classic back-casting approaches, and simulation gaming. 2023-05 2023-01-20T21:21:51Z 2023-01-20T21:21:51Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/127732 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/107763 Open Access Springer Rutting, L., Vervoort, J., Mees, H. et al. 2022. Disruptive seeds: a scenario approach to explore power shifts in sustainability transformations. Sustain Sci, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-022-01251-7
spellingShingle climate change adaptation
transformation
empowerment
governance
Rutting, Lucas
Vervoort, Joost M.
Mees, Heleen
Pereira, Laura
Veeger, Marieke
Muiderman, Karlijn
Mangnus, Astrid C
Winkler, Klara
Olsson, Per
Hichert, Tanja
Lane, Richard
Pergher, Bruno Bottega
Christiaens, Laura
Bansal, Nivedita
Hendriks, Abe
Driessen, Peter P.J.
Disruptive seeds: a scenario approach to explore power shifts in sustainability transformations
title Disruptive seeds: a scenario approach to explore power shifts in sustainability transformations
title_full Disruptive seeds: a scenario approach to explore power shifts in sustainability transformations
title_fullStr Disruptive seeds: a scenario approach to explore power shifts in sustainability transformations
title_full_unstemmed Disruptive seeds: a scenario approach to explore power shifts in sustainability transformations
title_short Disruptive seeds: a scenario approach to explore power shifts in sustainability transformations
title_sort disruptive seeds a scenario approach to explore power shifts in sustainability transformations
topic climate change adaptation
transformation
empowerment
governance
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/127732
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