joshua c. farley university of vermont community development and applied economics
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sustainability science. Joshua C. Farley University of Vermont Community Development and Applied Economics Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. Outline of presentation. What is Sustainability Science? Why is sustainability science different from traditional academic disciplines? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Joshua C. FarleyUniversity of Vermont
Community Development and Applied EconomicsGund Institute for Ecological Economics
sustainability science
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Outline of presentation
⇨ What is Sustainability Science?⇨ Why is sustainability science different from
traditional academic disciplines? ⇨ Why is traditional academia incompatible
with sustainability science? ⇨ How should we be teaching, learning and
conducting research in sustainability science?
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What is Sustainability Science?⇨ Is it an objective science which seeks to
maintain the scale of human society within physically defined carrying capacity of planet?
⇨ Interdisciplinary endeavor: ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, etc. plus policy sciences
⇨ Or is the goal to ensure that costs of human encroachment on the sustaining ecosystem do not outweigh the benefits for this or future generations?
⇨ Transdisciplinary endeavor: ethics, philosophy, psychology, economics, cultural values, etc.
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Why is sustainability science different from traditional
academic disciplines?
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Requires system thinking
⇨ Inherent complexity ⇨ How do the pieces interact?
⇨ Study of a rapidly evolving system⇨ What are the feedback loops driving system
evolution?
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Post normal science
• Uncertainty and ignorance
• Values matter• Decisions are urgent• Stakes are high
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Transdisciplinary
⇨ In the university there are disciplines, in the real world there are problems
⇨ Communication and understanding across disciplines is essential
⇨ Communication with sectors outside of academia is essential
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Why is traditional academia incompatible with sustainability
science?
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Academic Autism
⇨ What is Autism? A disorder characterize by:
⇨ abnormal subjectivity⇨ marked deficits in communication and social
interaction⇨ marked withdrawal from reality ⇨ abnormal behavior, such as… excessive
attachment to certain objects
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Disciplinarity
⇨ Useful for analysis⇨ A blinder for synthesis, system thinking⇨ Hinders communication⇨ Leads to incomplete view of reality⇨ Methodology determines problems⇨ Methodologies drive the discipline.
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Objective truth seeking vs. action oriented research
⇨ Traditional role is neutral scientist, unbiased objective research
⇨ Sustainability science demands solutions now. We need to do research that matters and we need to communicate and apply its results.
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Sustainability Science and Professional Advancement
⇨ Publication in peer reviewed journals⇨ NSF report on transdisciplinarity recommends
that junior faculty do not engage in transdisciplinary research
⇨ Collaboration across disciplines not rewarded
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Sustainability Science and Funding⇨ Collaboration across schools and
departments complicated and discouraged⇨ NSF and others are encouraging
interdisciplinary research⇨ Biocomplexity⇨ IGERT⇨ Others
⇨ Lack of qualified peer reviewers⇨ Still relatively small community of
interdisciplinary researchers, considerable collaborative work
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How should we be teaching, learning and conducting research in
sustainability science?
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Problem Based Learning
•New science: we are all studentsNew science: we are all students•We need to train problem solversWe need to train problem solvers•Gives students the opportunity to empirically Gives students the opportunity to empirically test theories as we learn themtest theories as we learn them•Too difficult to learn transdisciplinary thinking Too difficult to learn transdisciplinary thinking in the abstractin the abstract•Values matter, Stakeholders need to play a roleValues matter, Stakeholders need to play a role
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Working with Stakeholders
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•NGOs, Community groups, government departments•'Community' context dependent
Community sponsors as a link to stakeholders
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⇨ Integrate stakeholder into every aspect of the problem
⇨ Framing the problem⇨ Local knowledge⇨ Stakeholder values
⇨ Also need to work with unbiased ‘stakeholders’, those who care about the problem but are not directly affected
Role of stakeholders
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Focus on Synthesis…
⇨ Communication across disciplines⇨ Integrative Methodologies
⇨ Systems thinking and modeling⇨ Multi-criteria Analysis⇨ Mediated modeling
⇨ Policy implications
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… and Communication⇨ Communicate to those who act on
information⇨ Format appropriate to goal
⇨ Proposal for environmental protected area submitted to municipal government
⇨ Brochure on benefits of riparian reforestation distributed to reforestation groups and farmers
⇨ Editorials⇨ Reports to government agencies⇨ Press conferences⇨ Government briefings⇨ Academic articles
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Peer review
⇨ Extended peer review⇨ Relax criterion for collaborator review
while pool of qualified reviewers builds
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Summary
⇨ Sustainability science confronts new problems, demands new approaches from academia
⇨ Move away from study of disciplines and towards study of problems
⇨ Values matter: we need to integrate “non-expert” opinion
⇨ Sustainability science needs to be action-oriented
⇨ Moving in the right direction, but a long ways to go