Final published version
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - What are we aiming for?
T2 - Addressing the knowledge gap of a long-term sustainable society
AU - Higgs, T.
PY - 2024/11/30
Y1 - 2024/11/30
N2 - To properly address the polycrisis we need to tackle the underlying causes and thereby transition to a long-term sustainable and just society. The current mainstream proposed pathways out of our predicament focus mainly on climate change, and heavily utilise technological solutions. Although addressing the polycrisis holistically is not often the aim of these pathways, the fact that they often transgress other planetary boundaries means they cannot be used to inform us what a truly sustainable society looks like. The widespread assumptions of technological optimism also do not hold up to scrutiny when we consider the equity of their assumptions at the global level, yet are frequently relied on to construct policy. It is vital we acknowledge and then begin to address the knowledge gap left by ruling out incompatible transition scenarios.
AB - To properly address the polycrisis we need to tackle the underlying causes and thereby transition to a long-term sustainable and just society. The current mainstream proposed pathways out of our predicament focus mainly on climate change, and heavily utilise technological solutions. Although addressing the polycrisis holistically is not often the aim of these pathways, the fact that they often transgress other planetary boundaries means they cannot be used to inform us what a truly sustainable society looks like. The widespread assumptions of technological optimism also do not hold up to scrutiny when we consider the equity of their assumptions at the global level, yet are frequently relied on to construct policy. It is vital we acknowledge and then begin to address the knowledge gap left by ruling out incompatible transition scenarios.
U2 - 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103895
DO - 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103895
M3 - Journal article
VL - 161
JO - Environmental Science and Policy
JF - Environmental Science and Policy
SN - 1462-9011
M1 - 103895
ER -