Trends and Transformations
Tools for Transformation : Novel Approaches to Food System Transformation
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marjoleine Van Der Meij, Kristiaan Kok, Barbara Regeer
Our current food systems face severe and persistent interlinked challenges, including environmental problems and health related challenges. These challenges point to the urgent need to transform the world’s food systems in order to stay within planetary boundaries. Tackling these interlinked challenges is difficult and it is increasingly recognized that food systems are multi-actor, multi-level and multi-functional systems that exhibit non-linear dynamics and that transforming food systems requires research and innovation (R&I) approaches that serve as catalysts by applying systemic and participatory approaches. As such, there is a need for novel R&I approaches that adopt systemic methods and engagement with wider food systems stakeholders. The lack of competencies and tools concerning novel R&I approaches for food systems transformation is a key hindrance to the deployment of such approaches in practice. The European (EU) Horizon 2020 funded project FIT4FOOD2030 has experimented in living labs with novel approaches to food system transformation and developed learning modules, tools and methodologies to support the development of competencies that are vital for guiding and supporting food systems stakeholders and researchers dedicated to contributing to its transformation. In this paper, we briefly present the possibilities of the growing online hub of Tools for Transformation that has resulted from the project, but more importantly we consider a selection of (online) tools that were designed to engage and mobilise a variety of actors in activities that support systemic transformation through the adoption of RRI practices in food systems.
Longitudinal Trends in Ecological and Sustainability Attitudes in Latvia View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Renars Felcis, Elgars Felcis
Central and Eastern European countries have a lower level of awareness of global ecological and sustainability concerns in comparison with other EU countries. However, when dealing with the interdisciplinary issues of sustainability, it is important to understand trends in the attitudes, opinions, and behaviours of Latvian society. The aim of this paper is to describe longitudinal trends in ecological and sustainability attitudes in order to assess the overall awareness and resilience of people in the time of ongoing environmental breakdown (Steffen et al., 2018, Ceballos & Ehrlich, 2017, Hallmann et al., 2017). Theoretically the paper relies on social and ecological metabolic rift approach developed by John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark, Richard York et al. and Ulrich Beck’s risk society theory. Methodologically the paper is based on several waves of quantitative survey data starting from International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) questionnaire on ecological and economic issues in in 2000 and 2010. The ISSP questionnaire questions were partially repeated and other questions were added in subsequent general population surveys in Latvia in 2017 and 2020. Thematically questions cover topics of agreement or disagreement with statements regarding ecological and economic attitudes as well as questions regarding various ecologically orientated practices. Hypothesis for slow and insufficient adaption for necessary changes is formulated and tested. The data indicate that ecological and sustainability attitudes are changing slowly and people’s sustainable lifestyle practices remain stagnant or even decline, in spite of ongoing environmental breakdown with multi-faceted impacts on population, particularly in regions and rural areas in Latvia.
Design - The Before, Now, and Then: From Design to Design Activism and What? View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Pelin Ozyol
The emergence of new social, political, and environmental paradigms in recent years has led to the rethinking of design practice as a culture of awareness and design that is different from the visual and formal design culture, and to expand into a more structural and strategic design field. Therefore, Design Activism has become a subject of great interest and research for the last decade. It plays a crucial role in motivating social change, raising awareness about values and beliefs, or questioning the effects of mass production and consumption on people's daily lives. All these situations prompted us to rethink design education and ask again what future designers are expected to do as part of the discipline beyond a design career. The aim of this study is to explore the effects of design activism and socially responsible design approaches on Graphic Design education, based on the idea of how future designers and present teachers can best prepare them for a time that seems “futuristic”. Considering that the full integration of social responsibility into the university-level design curriculum, in terms of current economic, social and environmental factors, is somewhat slow to respond to social challenges, the study will discuss ways to develop strategies for incorporating the circular design model into graphic design principles in order to contribute to the realization of a more sustainable society.
Sustainability Storytelling: Strategies for Narrating Energy Efficiency Heroism from the Mountains of North Carolina View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Andrew Polich
Stories shape who we are. A good story can change the way we act. Those advocating for sustainability must practice good storytelling and avoid the trap of repeating sterile and emotionless data. A good story includes ‘narrative elements’: setting, characters, plot, and a moral. Listeners relate to the characters and in the case of a well-told story, can experience strong emotional responses. These responses aid in committing the story to memory and influencing future behaviors. Think of the striking vignettes presented by David Attenborough. Communicating environmental stories is especially challenging in rural America. The audience needs to feel a part of the in-group--it needs to relate to the protagonist. Stories of big initiatives in cities and expensive new technologies can have the opposite effect on rural communities. I worked with a clean energy non-profit in Buncombe County, NC to tell the stories of local businesses finding ways to conserve and produce their own energy. The protagonists are plain-clothed business owners and determined employees. No billionaires. No celebrities. Our efforts were not only to help environmentally-conscious businesses share their stories, but to catalyze Buncombe County’s ambitious goal of 100% renewable energy by 2042. In this session, we share some inspiring stories of energy efficiency in the mountains of Western North Carolina..
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Disclosure: A European Oil and Gas Industry Perspective View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Khalid Abbas
The importance of climate change and global warming has increased in the last few years. Most of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are the primary cause of climate change that requires immediate action. The oil and gas industry accounts for 42 percent of global emissions. This study aims to highlight the greenhouse gas emissions disclosure in sustainability reports of ten oil & gas companies in Europe. Further, it aims to understand to what extent these companies disclose greenhouse gas emissions. Content analysis was used to determine the disclosure of emissions from sustainability reports available on company websites. The results show that oil & gas companies are in the early stages of the low-carbon emission energy transitions and nine companies disclosed GHG information in their sustainability reports. In addition, three out of ten oil and gas companies disclosed that their emissions had increased as compared to last year while six companies have set a net zero goal for CO2 emissions. This study contributes to the current literature on GHG emissions disclosure of oil & gas companies providing further insights using institutional and stakeholder theories. The findings of the study are useful not only for regulators, policymakers, investors, and managers in reducing GHG emissions but also promoting and implementing the agenda of European Green Deal of climate neutrality by 2050.
