A Research Agenda for Transformative Change
Katrina Brown
This Panel advances a set of ideas and arguments about the type of knowledge and research necessary to support transformative change in response to major societal changes resulting from climate change. Work was initiated at a workshop jointly convened by the Resilience Alliance and the Tyndall Centre in 2010 in Southwold, UK. The starting point, or rationale, for these explorations is that we are transforming the world around us: this process is already happening; it is not a future phenomenon nor is it optional.Transformation is necessary because we are being transformed already and our choice is stark – transform to avoid 4 degrees or be transformed at 4 degrees. But we need to understand what transformation involves and how to manage it.
Climate change will have profound, irreversible impacts and will transform ecosystems, economy and society worldwide, but mitigating climate change and the transition to a low carbon world will transform energy and transport systems, livelihoods and lifestyles, behaviours, aspirations and values.
Yet transformation is a dynamic process, it is not a shift from one state to another. Whilst we can agree that there has to be fundamental change in order to address the changing world, as scientists and as citizens we are also deeply uncomfortable with the idea of transformation. For example, who decides on what is transformed and how? We want to discuss these issues during this Panel, and explore how these ecological, economic, social and ethical challenges demand a new agenda for research and action. The starting points for this discussion will be:
• How do we distinguish transformational change – for example, good and bad transformation; planned versus unplanned; adaptation versus transformation; how we can learn from ideas about transitions?
• Where and what is the evidence for transformations; including past and current transformations, and future transformations including tipping points
• What is the evidence for transformations at different (spatial and temporal) scales associated with climate change, and can we identify cross-scale linkages and dynamics, slow and fast drivers and variables, and traps and feedbacks?
• How do we manage transformations; ware there key leverage points, windows of opportunities and multiple entry points; who has power or control over transformations, and who transforms – individuals or collectives?
• Do the institutions to manage transformations exist of do we need new institutions? What capacities are necessary?
• What are the frontiers for research and action and what are the policy priorities?
We envisage a series of short presentations on these questions (30 minutes in total) with a facilitated discussion on the topics raised. We believe that this panel is most closely aligned with the conference theme ‘Transformation in social-ecological systems’ but also importantly resonates with each of the other themes.
Panel participants and papers:
Susanne Moser – “Deep Adaptation: Opportunities for Intervention to Assist in Transformative Change”
F. Stuart Chapin – “Planning and facilitating inevitable transformations”
HallieEakin, Emma Tompkins – “Uncertainty, scale, and space in privately-provided public climate change adaptations: Institutional challenges”
Don Nelson – “The human face of transformation”
Louisa Evans – “Do the institutions to manage transformations exist or do we need new institutions?”