Socio-technical Transitions to Sustainability

Socio-technical transitions to sustainability

Adrian Smith

Professor of Technology & Society

Science Policy Research Unit

University of Sussex

itdUPM 28 Noviembre 2017

Transition imperatives? A UK illustration

184

134

103

108

98

42

2006 emissions

International aviation

& shipping*

UK non-CO2 GHGs

Other CO2

Industry (heat &

industrial processes)

Residential &

Commercial heat

Domestic transport

Electricity Generation

* bunker fuels basis

2050 objective

159 Mt CO2e

695 Mt CO2e

77% cut (= 80% vs. 1990)

Sustainable developments?

Systems perspective on transitions

(after Weterings et al., 1997)

1. Norms and routines of engineers, developers, supply chains

2. Business models and markets

3. Economies of scale and positive network externalities

4. Infrastructures for connecting things

5. Institutions for coordinating and reproducing systems

6. Consumer habits and social practices

7. Political power and access to decision-making

These interacting processes effectively lock-out the spread of sustainable innovations.

Innovation policy for sustainability needs to attend to these structural impediments,

e.g. regulations, redirected investment, new market rules.

Need to create spaces less susceptible to these processes where radical innovation

can be developed

Inelastic systems ‘lock-in’ through co-evolving path-dependencies:

Locking-in to unsustainability: socio-technical regimes

Niche-based approaches

Create green niches to experiment with a ‘vision’ for the sustainable regime they might prefigure. Green niches:

• Create new knowledge and diversity

• Improve socio-technical performance

• Provide resources and nurture markets

• Explore future potential

• Build supportive constituencies and legitimacy

• Understand sustainability differently

Model of development: early idealists, systems builders, then mainstream interest. Niche growth displaces unsustainable regimes under tension

Multi-actor socio-technical configurations

Geels (2002)

Transition analysis: a multi-level perspective

TimeTime

Landscape developments put pressure on existing regime, which opens up, creating windows of opportunity for novelties

Socio-technical regime is ‘dynamically stable’.On different dimensions there are ongoing processes

New configuration breaks through, takingadvantage of ‘windows of opportunity’. Adjustments occur in socio-technical regime.

Elements are gradually linked together,and stabilise in a dominant design.Internal momentum increases.

Learning processes take place on multiple dimensions.Different elements are gradually linked together in a seamless web.

New socio-technicalregime influences landscape

Technologicalniches

Socio-technical’landscape

Socio-technicalregime

Technology

Markets, user preferences

CulturePolicy

ScienceIndustry

Source: Geels (2002)

EEA, 2016

Smart CSOs

Transition governance

TimeTime

Landscape devel opment s put pressure on exi st i ng regi me, w hi ch opens up, creat i ng w i ndow s of oppor t uni t y for novel t i es

Soci o- t echni cal r egi me i s ‘dynami cal l y st abl e’ .O n di f ferent di mensi ons t here are ongoi ng processes

N ew conf i gurat i on breaks t hrough, t aki ngadvant age of ‘w i ndow s of oppor t uni t y’ . A dj ust ment s occur i n soci o- t echni cal r egi me.

El ement s are gradual l y l i nked t oget her ,and st abi l i se i n a domi nant desi gn.Int ernal moment um i ncreases.

Learni ng processes t ake pl ace on mul t i pl e di mensi ons.D i f ferent el ement s are gradual l y l i nked t oget her i n a seaml ess w eb.

N ew soci o- t echni calregi me i nf l uences l andscape

Technologicalniches



Technol ogy

Market s, user preferences

Cul t urePol i cy

Sci enceIndust ry


Pressure on regime to become sustainable

Empowering environmental awareness and values

Visions for sustainable energy

systems


systems Visions for sustainable energy

systems

Socio-technical niches




Learning / process

Politics / substance

Transition governance

TimeTime

Landscape devel opment s put pressure on exi st i ng regi me, w hi ch opens up, creat i ng w i ndow s of oppor t uni t y for novel t i es

Soci o- t echni cal r egi me i s ‘dynami cal l y st abl e’ .O n di f ferent di mensi ons t here are ongoi ng processes

N ew conf i gurat i on breaks t hrough, t aki ngadvant age of ‘w i ndow s of oppor t uni t y’ . A dj ust ment s occur i n soci o- t echni cal r egi me.

El ement s are gradual l y l i nked t oget her ,and st abi l i se i n a domi nant desi gn.Int ernal moment um i ncreases.

Learni ng processes t ake pl ace on mul t i pl e di mensi ons.D i f ferent el ement s are gradual l y l i nked t oget her i n a seaml ess w eb.

N ew soci o- t echni calregi me i nf l uences l andscape

Technologicalniches



Technol ogy

Market s, user preferences

Cul t urePol i cy

Sci enceIndust ry


Pressure on regime to become sustainable

Empowering environmental awareness and values


systems


systems Visions for sustainable energy

systems





Whose lessons should

drive future adaptations?

Whose visions count? How to redistribute

commitments from regime to

niches?

How to destabilise the regime?

Where does all this take place?

Which niches to support; whose criteria?

Learning / process

Politics / substance

Más información:

Smith, A. and R. Raven (2012) What is protective space? Reconsidering niches in transitions to sustainability, Research Policy 41: 1025-1036

Smith, A., Voss, J-P and J. Grin (2010) Innovation studies and sustainability transitions: the allure of the multi-level perspective and its challenges, Research Policy, 39, 4: 435-448

Evolutionary ideas in strategic niche management

after Geels and Raven, 2006; Markard and Truffer, 2008

Niche ‘protective space’

Shielding (active & passive): socio-cognitive; markets; institutions; infrastructures; users; cultural associations; policy

Empowering the niche: - fit & conform

(competitiveness); - stretch & transform

(institutionalisation) Nurturing niche development: - shared expectations - actor networks - social learning

Socio-technical Transitions to Sustainability

Education

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