IDS: Taking dynamics seriously: towards a new politics of sustainability

Whether linked to water or land, forests or food, urbanisation or disease, rapid environmental change is posing central challenges for both public and policy agendas. With social systems also changing rapidly, the key development challenges of alleviating poverty and inequity are becoming more complex. Dynamic Sustainabilities - Technology, Environment, Social Justice, a new book published this week by the STEPS Centre, looks at how, in this context, pathways to sustainability linking environmental integrity with social justice might be built.

As preparations begin for the 2012 'Rio+20' Earth Summit, the book sets out a major contradiction. On the one hand, there is wide recognition of growing complexity and dynamism, but on the other hand, there appears to be an ever-more urgent search for big, technically-driven managerial solutions. When these solutions falter in the face of local dynamics and uncertainties, the response is often to implement them with greater force, or to blame locals or critics - rather than to question the underlying assumptions.

The result can be a cycle that narrows options, excludes alternative and dissenting voices, and fails to learn from mistakes. This ultimately fails to tackle big problems of environment and development that affect us all, while often perpetuating inequality and injustice. Those bearing the brunt are often poor and marginalised women and men, already struggling in difficult ecological and political conditions.

Hurdles to effective approaches to sustainable development

In this context, the book sets out major hurdles which must be addressed if more effective approaches to sustainable development are to be realised.

The importance of dynamics
The first is to take dynamics seriously. This means moving beyond conventional approaches rooted in standard equilibrium thinking. Rather than attempting to control variability, it may often be more appropriate to develop strategies that respond to it, building resilience and robustness.

Understanding uncertainty
Secondly, governments and institutions are increasingly preoccupied with the insecurities that threats seem to pose. However, dominant approaches involve a narrow focus on a particular (highly incomplete) notion of risk. This assumes complex challenges can be calculated and managed - excluding other situations where understanding possible future outcomes is more problematic. It is essential to have a wider appreciation of the dimensions of uncertainty if we are to avoid the dangers of creating deceptive, control-based approaches to complex and dynamic realities.

Different viewpoints
Thirdly, underlying such approaches are wider assumptions about the goals of development or sustainability. These approaches often assume that there is only one view of the problem and possible solutions. Yet different people and groups understand - or 'frame' - environment and development issues in very different ways; they have varying knowledge and experience, and value different goals and outcomes. Paying serious attention to multiple framings brings vital opportunities to advance debates about sustainability and connect them more firmly with social justice.

Redefining sustainability
Fourthly, while debates about sustainability have become mainstream over the last two decades, they have often been confused, vague and rhetorical, masking a lack of real change and commitment. At times, sustainability concepts have been co-opted into bureaucratic attempts to solve problems which are actually far more complex and political. If it is still to have value, the term 'sustainability' needs to be redefined in far more normative, and overtly political, terms. We need to ask what exactly is to be sustained and for whom, linking sustainability to specific qualities of human well-being, social equity and environmental integrity. Sustainability goals are therefore context-specific and inevitably contested, making public deliberation and negotiation essential.

A Pathways Approach

Dynamic Sustainabilities - Technology, Environment, Social Justice addresses these hurdles by explaining a novel guide to thinking and action - a 'pathways approach'. Focusing on challenges involving water scarcity in India, seeds and drought in Africa, epidemics and energy, it explores how and why powerful actors and institutions so often ‘close down' around particular framings on sustainability problems. These become the motorways that channel policies and interventions, often running over valuable footpaths that respond better to poorer people's own goals, knowledge and values, and to more dynamic contexts.

The book suggests a key task for the present and the future is to make space for more plural and dynamic sustainabilities. This means opening up to practices that involve flexibility, diversity, adaptation, learning and reflexivity. It means recognising the alternative framings around which more effective, justice-oriented pathways may emerge. And it means new forms of political engagement to promote such pathways amidst deeply entrenched power and interests. Although they are difficult, it is vital that these challenges are tackled if the pressing problems associated with climate change, energy, pandemic disease, water scarcity, hunger, poverty and inequality are genuinely to be addressed.

Dynamics Sustainabilities is one of the first books to be published in the new STEPS Centre book series, published by Earthscan.

Melissa Leach is director of the ESRC STEPS Centre and an IDS Professorial Fellow.