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  • Transforming innovation for sustainable development and poverty reduction

    Transforming innovation for sustainable development and poverty reduction

     

    Illustration by Radoma13 June 2012

    A radical new approach to science and innovation is urgently needed to steer us within planetary boundaries and secure human wellbeing, fostering diverse types of innovation and empowering the grassroots creativity of poorer people, say researchers from the Institute of Development Studies-based ESRC STEPS Centre.

    As the world gears up for the Rio + 20 Earth summit, many are pinning hopes on a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) that, by 2015, will be succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in thinking and action on environment and development.

    Safe operating space

    New research by the STEPS Centre, the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Tellus Institute argues that SDGs that keep human societies within a ‘safe operating space’ requires an approach to innovation that gives far greater recognition and power to grassroots actors and processes, involving them within an inclusive, multi-scale innovation politics.

    In a jointly-authored paper, Transforming Innovation for Sustainability, current development goals focussing on one-track scientific solutions to global challenges are seen as failing to respond effectively to the uncertainty and shifting dynamics of today’s world, and to the diverse needs of the poor.

    We are already pushing up against planetary boundaries that are near, or already past, breaking point. And if these one-direction approaches continue, the paper says, we risk breaching the boundaries which define a safe operating space for humanity, while undoing past progress on global poverty reduction.

    ‘Science, technology and innovation can help avert catastrophic developmental and environmental damage. But only if we move beyond outdated notions of whose innovation counts, to recognise the vital role different forms of innovation can play’ said Professor Melissa Leach, director of the STEPS Centre and one of the paper’s authors.

    Research and experiences across the world, in areas like agriculture, water, energy and health, illustrate what the paper suggests are a set of underlying principles that need to guide innovation for sustainability and poverty reduction. Three interlinked dimensions need to be assessed together:

    Direction

    The specific Direction of change. This means being clear on the particular goals and principles driving policy and innovation, not leaving these open, undiscussed or driven by general imperatives of growth or progress, but actively steering these towards the kinds of transformation needed to meet integrated sustainable development/poverty reduction aims.

    Diversity

    Second, Diversity is also crucial. Nurturing more diverse approaches and forms of innovation (social as well as technological) helps respond to the very varied ecological, social and economic contexts in which poorer people live, as well as to cope with uncertainty and surprise.

    Distribution

    A third dimension is Distribution. This means asking about who gains and who loses from particular innovations. Grassroots innovations offer particular value, helping to favour and prioritise more fairly the interests of the most marginal groups.

    A ‘3D’ analysis, the paper suggests, can help to reveal the nature and stakes of choices made around science, technology and innovation, and to guide decision-makers as they grapple with challenges in their own particular settings.

    Rio+20 is an opportunity to provide a global framework supporting different forms of innovation that address sustainable development challenges at local, national and global levels. Beyond setting targets, this is about enabling the grassroots and enhancing innovation capabilities for the longer term.

    Transforming Innovation for Sustainability brings together the Stockholm Resilience Centre’s work on planetary boundaries, the STEPS Centre’s innovation for development research and Tellus Institute’s focus on sustainable futures.

    Illustration by Radomo

     

  • Warm climate — cold Arctic?

    ScienceDaily: Oceanography News

    Warm climate — cold Arctic?

    Posted: 14 Jun 2012 10:09 AM PDT

    The Eemian interglacial period that began some 125,000 years ago is often used as a model for contemporary climate change. Scientists have presented evidence that the Eemian differed in essential details from modern climatic conditions.

  • Single-track sustainability ‘solutions’ threaten people and planet, experts say

    Single-track sustainability ‘solutions’ threaten people and planet, experts say

    Posted: 14 Jun 2012 10:11 AM PDT

    The targets, indicators and approaches being used to pursue progress towards sustainable development at Rio+20 are counter-productive, say scientists in a new paper. Three renowned sustainability institutes argue that global and grassroots innovations must be connected to avoid breaching planetary boundaries and reversing progress on poverty reduction.

    Warm climate — cold Arctic?

    Posted: 14 Jun 2012 10:09 AM PDT

    The Eemian interglacial period that began some 125,000 years ago is often used as a model for contemporary climate change. Scientists have presented evidence that the Eemian differed in essential details from modern climatic conditions.

  • Aquarius, NASA’s salt-mapping instrument, marks first birthday

    Two warmest winter months in Midwest, U.S. history may have connection

    Posted: 14 Jun 2012 10:10 AM PDT

    This past March was the second warmest winter month ever recorded in the Midwest, with temperatures 15 degrees above average. The only other winter month that was warmer was December of 1889, during which temperatures were 18 degrees above average. Now, researchers may have discovered why the weather patterns during these two winter months, separated by 123 years, were so similar. The answer could help scientists develop more accurate weather prediction models.

    Aquarius, NASA’s salt-mapping instrument, marks first birthday

    Posted: 14 Jun 2012 05:54 AM PDT

    Aquarius, NASA’s pioneering instrument to measure ocean surface salinity from orbit, launched a year ago (on June 10, 2011) aboard the Argentine Space Agency’s Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC-D) observatory. Designed to advance our understanding of what changes in the saltiness of the ocean’s top layer say about the water cycle and variations in climate, the mission has had a busy first year.
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  • Government flags foreign land ownership register

    Government flags foreign land ownership register

    Updated June 15, 2012 17:18:47

    Related Story: Conflict of interest claims in China farmland deal
    Related Story: Chinese food deal a ‘threat to sovereignty’
    Map: Australia

    The Federal Government has flagged it may introduce a foreign ownership register for agricultural land.

    The Opposition has been pushing for greater scrutiny of foreign ownership of farmland.

    The Government maintains only about 6 per cent of Australia’s agricultural land is foreign-owned, and that figure has barely changed since the 1980s.

    But Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig says the Government could provide more comprehensive information.

    “I’m excited about the Government consulting on a national foreign ownership register because it will provide the community with a comprehensive picture of the type and location of foreign agricultural holdings throughout Australia,” he said.

    “It’s important we get the facts on the table.”

    Senator Ludwig and Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury say they will set up a working group to look at how the Government could create a register that would increase transparency without duplicating bureaucracy.

    Topics:federal-government, rural, agribusiness, australia

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  • Rio+20 Earth summit: walkout at ‘green economy’ talks

    Rio+20 Earth summit: walkout at ‘green economy’ talks

    Negotiators from developing countries insist wealthy nations must help fund their move to sustainable development

    An indigenous man at a ceremony during the Rio+20 summit.

    An indigenous man at a ceremony during the Rio+20 summit in Brazil. Photograph: Silvia Izquierdo/AP

    Europe’s financial crisis should not be used as an excuse for inaction and underfunding of moves towards a more sustainable global economy, a senior Brazilian diplomat warned at the Rio+20 conference on Thursday as the UN talks suffered a disruption over money.

    Negotiators from developing nations walked out of a core working group on the “green economy” because wealthy countries were refusing to include the transfer of money and technology that might achieve this goal.

    The wobble was temporary but it bodes ill for the conference because negotiators were already running short of time to draft an agreement ahead of an Earth Summit next week that is billed as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set mankind on a more sustainable path of development.

    The G77 bloc of developing countries and China said cash and intellectual property were crucial to implement the changes envisaged, such as phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, boosting “green jobs” in the fields of renewable energy, moving towards more sustainable agriculture and incorporating social and economic indicators into GDP measurements.

    They have proposed a global fund for sustainable development with an initial annual budget of US$30bn (£19bn). But amid a global economic slowdown and austerity in Europe rich nations are reluctant to put cash on the table.

    Brazilian negotiators said this was no excuse. “We cannot be held hostage to the retraction resulting from financial crises in rich countries. We are here to think about the long term and not about crises that may be overcome in one or two years,” said Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, undersecretary at the Brazilian foreign ministry.

    Wealthy countries are also reluctant to discuss technology transfer, which would supply poorer countries with the intellectual property needed to make solar panels, clean cars and other forms of “green tech”.

    The sharp differences of opinion are one reason why expectations are low for a strong outcome from the meeting, which has suffered from the absence of several world leaders including Barack Obama, David Cameron and Angela Merkel, and the fracturing of traditional negotiating blocs.

    With two-thirds of the bulky negotiating text still to be agreed at the start of the preparatory session on Wednesday, Sha Zukang, the secretary general of Rio+20, urged governments to “drastically accelerate the pace” of negotiations. But civil society groups said time was running out.

    “It’s going to be tough. There is only day left of formal negotiations before the heads of state come. If they don’t streamline now, all the preparatory work of the past months is going to be wasted and heads of state will produce a new document,” said Wael Hmaidan of Climate Action Network International. “This will be to the disadvantage of small and vulnerable nations because developed countries always have the advantage in meetings of heads of state.”

    Yoke Ling Chee, director of Third World Network, said: “While rich countries are backtracking on their commitments to provide technology for sustainable development, they cannot expect to open up a new track on green economy, which is still ill-defined and could require new burdens for developing countries.”

    Negotiators from developing countries insist wealthy nations must help fund their move to sustainable development

    An indigenous man at a ceremony during the Rio+20 summit.

    An indigenous man at a ceremony during the Rio+20 summit in Brazil. Photograph: Silvia Izquierdo/AP

    Europe’s financial crisis should not be used as an excuse for inaction and underfunding of moves towards a more sustainable global economy, a senior Brazilian diplomat warned at the Rio+20 conference on Thursday as the UN talks suffered a disruption over money.

    Negotiators from developing nations walked out of a core working group on the “green economy” because wealthy countries were refusing to include the transfer of money and technology that might achieve this goal.

    The wobble was temporary but it bodes ill for the conference because negotiators were already running short of time to draft an agreement ahead of an Earth Summit next week that is billed as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set mankind on a more sustainable path of development.

    The G77 bloc of developing countries and China said cash and intellectual property were crucial to implement the changes envisaged, such as phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, boosting “green jobs” in the fields of renewable energy, moving towards more sustainable agriculture and incorporating social and economic indicators into GDP measurements.

    They have proposed a global fund for sustainable development with an initial annual budget of US$30bn (£19bn). But amid a global economic slowdown and austerity in Europe rich nations are reluctant to put cash on the table.

    Brazilian negotiators said this was no excuse. “We cannot be held hostage to the retraction resulting from financial crises in rich countries. We are here to think about the long term and not about crises that may be overcome in one or two years,” said Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, undersecretary at the Brazilian foreign ministry.

    Wealthy countries are also reluctant to discuss technology transfer, which would supply poorer countries with the intellectual property needed to make solar panels, clean cars and other forms of “green tech”.

    The sharp differences of opinion are one reason why expectations are low for a strong outcome from the meeting, which has suffered from the absence of several world leaders including Barack Obama, David Cameron and Angela Merkel, and the fracturing of traditional negotiating blocs.

    With two-thirds of the bulky negotiating text still to be agreed at the start of the preparatory session on Wednesday, Sha Zukang, the secretary general of Rio+20, urged governments to “drastically accelerate the pace” of negotiations. But civil society groups said time was running out.

    “It’s going to be tough. There is only day left of formal negotiations before the heads of state come. If they don’t streamline now, all the preparatory work of the past months is going to be wasted and heads of state will produce a new document,” said Wael Hmaidan of Climate Action Network International. “This will be to the disadvantage of small and vulnerable nations because developed countries always have the advantage in meetings of heads of state.”

    Yoke Ling Chee, director of Third World Network, said: “While rich countries are backtracking on their commitments to provide technology for sustainable development, they cannot expect to open up a new track on green economy, which is still ill-defined and could require new burdens for developing countries.”