Sustainability and Transformation

a framework for enabling policy diversity

Andy Stirling, SPRU

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temporality of dynamics – are ‘disturbances’ envisaged as:

shocks

(transitory disturbance to otherwise continuous trajectory)

time

driver of change

quality level

food: - supply bottlenecks

- price spikes

floods - severe rain episodes

Distinguishing Challenges

magnitude

shocks

food: - market trends

- resource depletion

floods: - higher rainfall

climate

temporality of dynamics – are ‘disturbances’ envisaged as:

driver of change

quality level

stresses

(pressure for enduring disturbance to orientation of trajectory)

Distinguishing Challenges

shocks

control

food: - mandate supply chains

- regulate prices

floods: - water flow

management

style of action – do interventions aim at:

driver of change

quality level

Distinguishing Challenges

shocks

control

food: - market structuring

- resource substitutions

floods: - engineered defence

style of action – do interventions aim at:

driver of change

quality level

stresses

Distinguishing Challenges

response

food: - agile supply chains

- price elasticity

floods: - retrofit flood resistance

driver of change

quality level

2: style of action – do interventions aim at:

shocks

Distinguishing Challenges

response

food: - foresighted institutions

- diverse dependencies

floods: - managed retreat

driver of change

quality level

shocks

stresses

2: style of action – do interventions aim at:

Distinguishing Challenges

shock (transitory

disturbance)

stress (enduring

disturbance)

control (tractable drivers)

respond (intractable drivers)

temporality

of change

style of action

Distinguishing Strategies

shock (transitory

disturbance)

stress (enduring

disturbance)

control (tractable drivers)

respond (intractable drivers)

temporality

of change

style of action

STABILITY

DURABILITY

RESILIENCE

ROBUSTNESS

Distinguishing Properties …

STABILITY

DURABILITY

RESILIENCE

ROBUSTNESS

SUSTAINABILITY

temporality

of change

style of action

Distinguishing Properties … of Sustainabiltiy

shock (transitory

disturbance)

stress (enduring

disturbance)

control (tractable drivers)

respond (intractable drivers)

temporality

of change

style of action

STABILITY

DURABILITY ROBUSTNESS

Intermediary groups: meanwhile leases

Growing groups: creative growing

RESILIENCE

Intermediary groups: changes to planning advisory notices, strategic planning documents, city-wide urban strategies

Distinguishing Strategies… eg: land

shock (transitory

disturbance)

stress (enduring

disturbance)

control (tractable drivers)

respond (intractable drivers)

temporality

of change

style of action

STABILITY

DURABILITY ROBUSTNESS

RESILIENCE

re-applications for charitable funds,

charge for previously free service provision

develop service provision partnerships

with local statutory or charitable organisations

Distinguishing Strategies… eg: funding

shock (transitory

disturbance)

stress (enduring

disturbance)

control (tractable drivers)

respond (intractable drivers)

temporality

of change

style of action

STABILITY

DURABILITY ROBUSTNESS

RESILIENCE

mitigate interrupted revenue streams by increasing pre-payment periods for farm scheme subscriptions from monthly to quarterly

awareness raising measures to mitigate falling support for CSOs in specific towns, cities

capacity to support farm festivals or availability of

bridging support

shift practice to link health care providers to

build demand for therapeutic growing

Distinguishing Strategies… eg: support

shock (transitory

disturbance)

stress (enduring

disturbance)

control (tractable drivers)

respond (intractable drivers)

stability

durability

resilience

robustness

clear conditions

for diverse strategies

From Sustaining …

stability

durability

resilience

robustness

shock

stress

control response

sustain

change

clear conditions

for diverse strategies

From Sustaining … to transforming

stability

durability

resilience

robustness

sustain

change

transruption

shock

stress

control response

take advantage of shock to

control a specific change

eg: UK government and coal

power in 1980s; UK nuclear

and renewables in 2010s

From Sustaining … to transforming

transition

stability

durability

resilience

robustness

shock

stress

control response

harness stress as an

opportunity for controlling

towards a particular change

eg: Netherlands Energie

Transitie to low carbon in

2000s

transruption

sustain

change

From Sustaining … to transforming

transition

transilience

stability

durability

resilience

robustness

shock

stress

control response

shocks present a chance for

responsive actions to steer

away from status quo

eg: Greenpeace et al move to

campaign against nuclear

power after Chernobyl, 1986

transruption

sustain

change

From Sustaining … to transforming

transition

transilience

transformation

stability

durability

resilience shock

stress

control response

stress offers a pressure to help

responsive actions steer away

from status quo

eg: grassroots civil society

mobilisation on climate change

‘peak oil’, 2000s

transruption

sustain

change

From Sustaining … to transforming

transition

transilience

transformation

stability

durability

resilience

robustness

shock

stress

control response

transruption

sustain

change

clear conditions

for diverse policy repertoires

for maintaining sustainability

and transforming unsustainabiltiy

From Sustaining … to transforming

transition

transilience

transformation

stability

durability

resilience

robustness

shock

stress

control response

transruption

sustain

change

Sustainability governance:

civil society is crucial

pathways are political

quality through democracy

From Sustaining … to transforming

http://www.sustainablelifestyles.ac.uk/

transruption transilience

transition transformation

stability resilience

durability robustness