Leverage points for sustainability transformation: a review on interventions in food and energy systems

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. There is increasing recognition that sustainability science should be solutions orientated and that such solutions will often require transformative change. However, the concrete sustainability interventions are often not clearly communicated, especially when it comes to the transformative change being created. Using food and energy systems as illustrative examples we performed a quantitative systematic review of empirical research addressing sustainability interventions. We use a modified version of Donella Meadows' notion of ‘leverage points’ – places in complex systems where relatively small changes can lead to potentially transformative systemic changes – to classify different interventions according to their potential for system wide change and sustainability transformation. Our results indicate that the type of interventions studied in the literature are partially driven by research methods and problem framings and that ‘deep leverage points’ related to changing the system's rules, values and paradigms are rarely addressed. We propose that for initiating system wide transformative change, deep leverage points – the goals of a system, its intent, and rules – need to be addressed more directly. This, in turn, requires an explicit consideration of how scientific approaches shape and constrain our understanding of where we can intervene in complex systems

Analysis of Energy Transition Pathways in the Residential Sector of the Built Environment : A sectoral country comparison

An energy transition is currently taking place in many European countries. Existing studies comparing countries’ energy transition pathways are limited in scope and lack a strong theoretical foundation. This thesis addresses the lack of theoretical framework-based approaches by applying a sectoral analysis framework, identifying the main factors facilitating or hindering the sustainable energy transition in several countries, and the significant differences between them.The research focused on four countries; the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom and was limited to the residential sector of the built environment. It included the three dominant housing types: social rental; private rental; and homeownership. Data was clustered along the four dimensions of the sectoral analysis framework, identifying: (1) actors, interactions & networks; (2) the institutional or legal framework; (3) the technological framework; and (4) market demand. The same process was repeated for each of the countries, forming a detailed overview about their chosen energy transition pathways. A number of interviews were conducted to gain further insight into country-specific factors.With respect to actors, interactions and networks, this study has found that strong ties and cooperation between ministries and departments is an important factor facilitating policy success, with departmental fragmentation or competition posing a significant barrier. In terms of the institutional framework policy stability, clear targets and long-term policy framework are all factors for policy success. Conversely, frequent changes to existing policies, non-binding goals and the absence of a long-term framework are all seen as barriers for a sustainable energy transition. Looking at the technological regime, this study found countries with active support for renewable energy technologies have a higher share of renewable energy than countries where the choice of technologies is largely market-based. Past technological choices and existing energy-infrastructure were found to influence transition pathways and can be both a positive or negative factor. Lastly, with respect to market demand, the existence of a standardised housing stock was found to be a potentially significant factor for the upscaling of innovative initiatives. The existence of a large and fragmented (private) rental sector and high interest rates on financing products were found to be further barriers for the energy transition in the residential sector.This thesis has identified obstacles matching those in previous studies and introduced a number of factors facilitating policy success. It has made a first step in overcoming the lack in theoretical framework-based approaches in energy transition analysis future studies can build on

Analysis of Energy Transition Pathways in the Residential Sector of the Built Environment : A sectoral country comparison

An energy transition is currently taking place in many European countries. Existing studies comparing countries’ energy transition pathways are limited in scope and lack a strong theoretical foundation. This thesis addresses the lack of theoretical framework-based approaches by applying a sectoral analysis framework, identifying the main factors facilitating or hindering the sustainable energy transition in several countries, and the significant differences between them.The research focused on four countries; the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom and was limited to the residential sector of the built environment. It included the three dominant housing types: social rental; private rental; and homeownership. Data was clustered along the four dimensions of the sectoral analysis framework, identifying: (1) actors, interactions & networks; (2) the institutional or legal framework; (3) the technological framework; and (4) market demand. The same process was repeated for each of the countries, forming a detailed overview about their chosen energy transition pathways. A number of interviews were conducted to gain further insight into country-specific factors.With respect to actors, interactions and networks, this study has found that strong ties and cooperation between ministries and departments is an important factor facilitating policy success, with departmental fragmentation or competition posing a significant barrier. In terms of the institutional framework policy stability, clear targets and long-term policy framework are all factors for policy success. Conversely, frequent changes to existing policies, non-binding goals and the absence of a long-term framework are all seen as barriers for a sustainable energy transition. Looking at the technological regime, this study found countries with active support for renewable energy technologies have a higher share of renewable energy than countries where the choice of technologies is largely market-based. Past technological choices and existing energy-infrastructure were found to influence transition pathways and can be both a positive or negative factor. Lastly, with respect to market demand, the existence of a standardised housing stock was found to be a potentially significant factor for the upscaling of innovative initiatives. The existence of a large and fragmented (private) rental sector and high interest rates on financing products were found to be further barriers for the energy transition in the residential sector.This thesis has identified obstacles matching those in previous studies and introduced a number of factors facilitating policy success. It has made a first step in overcoming the lack in theoretical framework-based approaches in energy transition analysis future studies can build on

Analysis of Energy Transition Pathways in the Residential Sector of the Built Environment : A sectoral country comparison

An energy transition is currently taking place in many European countries. Existing studies comparing countries’ energy transition pathways are limited in scope and lack a strong theoretical foundation. This thesis addresses the lack of theoretical framework-based approaches by applying a sectoral analysis framework, identifying the main factors facilitating or hindering the sustainable energy transition in several countries, and the significant differences between them.The research focused on four countries; the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom and was limited to the residential sector of the built environment. It included the three dominant housing types: social rental; private rental; and homeownership. Data was clustered along the four dimensions of the sectoral analysis framework, identifying: (1) actors, interactions & networks; (2) the institutional or legal framework; (3) the technological framework; and (4) market demand. The same process was repeated for each of the countries, forming a detailed overview about their chosen energy transition pathways. A number of interviews were conducted to gain further insight into country-specific factors.With respect to actors, interactions and networks, this study has found that strong ties and cooperation between ministries and departments is an important factor facilitating policy success, with departmental fragmentation or competition posing a significant barrier. In terms of the institutional framework policy stability, clear targets and long-term policy framework are all factors for policy success. Conversely, frequent changes to existing policies, non-binding goals and the absence of a long-term framework are all seen as barriers for a sustainable energy transition. Looking at the technological regime, this study found countries with active support for renewable energy technologies have a higher share of renewable energy than countries where the choice of technologies is largely market-based. Past technological choices and existing energy-infrastructure were found to influence transition pathways and can be both a positive or negative factor. Lastly, with respect to market demand, the existence of a standardised housing stock was found to be a potentially significant factor for the upscaling of innovative initiatives. The existence of a large and fragmented (private) rental sector and high interest rates on financing products were found to be further barriers for the energy transition in the residential sector.This thesis has identified obstacles matching those in previous studies and introduced a number of factors facilitating policy success. It has made a first step in overcoming the lack in theoretical framework-based approaches in energy transition analysis future studies can build on

Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and practice: Balancing expectations of the 'old' academy with the future model of universities as 'problem solvers'

Academics are increasingly required to balance the expectations of the ‘old’ academy with a future model of universities as interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ‘problem solvers’. This paper highlights changing expectations of academics in producing alternative research outcomes in collaborative, practice‐based research. Through a series of workshops with 20 researchers, preferred research outcomes and tensions in achieving these outcomes were identified. The tensions identified are presented as three dichotomies comprising the tension between: (a) ‘I versus We’ ‐ individual versus team expectations & outcomes. (b) Disciplinary outcomes versus inter‐/transdisciplinary outcomes. (c) Learning versus research objectives for the students and academics involved. These tensions reflect the authors’ experiences of working in three international sustainability projects, drawing on lessons learned from these projects, with recommendations for universities seeking to implement interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary doctoral and postdoctoral programmes. Recommendations include the need for formal and informal leadership models, strong communication skills, empathy and willingness to learn from each other. A need for more systemic changes within university administration to better reward and value the breadth and depth of collaborative work, while facilitating open learning cultures and practice‐oriented learning opportunities and curricula across faculties was also identified

Balance Brings Beauty

Southern Transylvania is globally recognized for its tremendous cultural and biological heritage. A research team from Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany) conducted a detailed visioning exercise that involved many local actors representing economic, social and environmental interests. This exercise showed a high degree of consensus among a vast range of local actors regarding preferred future development trajectories. Of four alternative visions developed for the future of Southern Transylvania, most local actors preferred a vision entitled “Balance Brings Beauty” – a development trajectory that embodies a diversified local economy, social justice, and ecological sustainability. Given the high degree of consensus among local actors regarding their aspirations for the future of Southern Transylvania, this book documents tangible strategies that can be used to turn this vision into reality