- Email: [email protected]
Sustainable futures and Europe: a research viewpoint from Brussels
Clohul E,,v,,,, nmmrd C%on~~. Vol. I. No. 2. pp. 87-91, 1997 0
Pergamon
1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All nghts reserved Prmted m Great Britain.
PII:
so959-378q97)offoo2-2
0959.37xo;97 517.00+000
Viewpoint
Sustainable futures and Europe: a research viewpoint from Brussels Angela Liberatore and Andrew Sors’
How can research help shape sustainable futures? This paper explores some current and future avenues with specific European regard to the context. lnterdlscipllnary and policy-relevant knowledge requires further development in order to tackle the complex relations between society and the environment as well as to antlclpate, and respond to, environmental problems and the related social needs and concerns. 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.
words: European research, Key sustainable futures, policy relevant knowledge Angela Liberatore and Andrew Sors are both with the European Commission, Directorate General Science, Research and Development, Unit Socio-economic Aspects of the Environment, Rue de la Loi 200, 1049 Brussels,
Belgium.
Should we care about the future? If sustainable development is to be considered as a desirable and practical social goal, then we need to explore the relations between current and future state of affairs. Whether we wish to take care of future generations, or whether our prime concern is to ease the burden of many of our fellow citizens, we are faced with urgent issues related to the ecologically sound and socially equitable management of resources. And tackling these requires a future oriented perspective that acknowledges that the future starts now, but that it does not need to be-and in practice it is unlikely to be--like the present. Exloring the relations between present and future becomes even more important if we are concerned with the links between sustainable development and global environmental change. For example, vulnerability of certain regions and communities to extreme weather events such as floods and droughts is a current problem that could also provide a warning signal for even more acute problems to come, such as increased vulnerability to climate change impacts. Again, we need to avoid myopia and instead try to address future implications of present actions.
Visions of Europe
‘The views expressed in the article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.
Contextualizing problems is generally a useful exercise. Problems with global consequences are both addressed and can carry impacts within diverse ecological, socio-economic, institutional and cultural contexts. Working in Brussels, with the task of promoting European research, we would like to present some reflections within a European context. Moving towards sustainability is a prime commitment of the European Union, as stated in the Fifth Environmental Action Programme (European Commission, 1993). Its pursuit entails a process of continuous confrontation with other commitments, such as economic competitiveness, monetary union or the reduction in unemployment. Within this
87
Sustainable,futures and Europe: A Liberafore and A Sors
broad framework, socially and technologically driven sustainable development can either be regarded as a secondary objective, or as a major challenge that calls for a new development model (European Commission, 1994). In the first case, the pursuit of sustainable development becomes a sort of luxury that can only be afforded once more urgent European Union’s priorities such as economic integration are well on their way. In the second case, the very process of European integration is seen as one in which economic, social and ecologial dimensions are interlinked and thus calls for innovation in as diverse-but interrelated areas-as production processes, consumption patterns, governance structures, and so on. The matter becomes even more complex and important if one takes into account the fact that the European Union cannot be seen in isolation from-but is rather an integral part of-the broader European and global context. What are the different visions of Europe currently at stake? What are plausible and desirable European futures which we might move towards? And which of these futures are sustainable? Addressing questions such as these is an important and urgent task and there are some efforts in this direction. However, the systematic and pluralistic articulation of visions and the development of heuristic tools to explore plausible and desirable futures requires further effort. It also requires that these efforts begin to touch on the nitty gritty of policymaking.
Scientific inquiry and sustainable development What specific contribution can research make to help shape sustainable futures in Europe and beyond? ScientiIic research-both in the natural and social science fields-is both a value and an obligation in most contemporary societies. A value, since this is an activity in which the right to freedom of opinion (e.g. in the form of critical debate between different theories) is continuously put to the test. An obligation, because research is increasingly required to respond to social concerns and to policy demands, including the identification of future trends and risks; this is certainly the case in Europe, but applies also elsewhere. These two aspects cannot be separated. Without open and critical debate no sound analysis and improved understanding of physical and of social processes can be developed. And if the social implications of different research directions are not properly explored, research might either be irrelevant or even become detrimental, if it gives rise to risks it cannot manage. A significant research effort on sustainable development has been initiated in Europe as well as in other parts of the world in a way that marries critical debate and socially useful production of knowledge. It is to this emerging-but far from mainstreamIield of research that we turn now our attention. Understanding the fundamental interrelations between human beings and the environment-the core of sustainable development research-is a relatively novel research task. Both at the national and international levels, research on the environment was initially approached as an exclusive domain of physical and biological sciences or ecology. In the late eighties and early nineties, so-called “human dimensions” or “socioeconomic environmental research” started gaining some interest and support. It is beyond the scope of this article to provide an explanation of such delayed emergence. However factors that played a role include
88
Sustainable futures
and Europe: A Liberatore and A Sot-s
the different state of development of different research communities/ branches, the tendency to define the “environment” as a physical entity and to disregard the human causes-and impacts-of its degradation, the early “curative” approach of environmental policies and the related search for remediation technologies. Gradually, an increased realization of the complexity of environmental issues, the shift towards more anticipatory/precautionary environmental policies, as well as the recognition of the need to understand how and why humans are both part of the problem and of the solution, gave birth to socio-economic environmental/“human dimensions” research. For the sake of clarity, we may distinguish three components of sustainable development research: research to assist current action and policy making; research to elucidate visions and explore futures; and research to link current trends with desirable (e.g. sustainable) futures in Europe and at the broader international level. l
l
Research to support current action includes the provision of knowledge and methodologies to promote changes in economy and behaviour and to support more effective environmental policies. An indicative, but by no means comprehensive “list” of topics here include: the development of valuation and green accounting methodologies which are intended to promote the internalization of environmental costs/externalities in economic activities (particularly in production processes); the development of innovation research, technology assessment and life-cycle methodologies to assist the selection and diffusion of environmentally-friendly technologies and to promote eco-efficiency; the analysis of the cost-effectiveness, social acceptability and institutional feasibility of various policy instruments and plans; the identification of barriers to and conditions for the integration of environmental considerations into policy making; the assessment of the effectiveness of environmental institutions; and the development of conflict resolution methodologies. Research to elucidate visions and explore desirable and/or plausible futures is based upon the identification of social views that guide behaviour at the collective and at the individual level, as well as upon a pluralistic approach to the assement of what futures are seen as desirable and plausible (e.g. are sustainable futures seen as desirable, and by which social groups? What would they look like? Are current trends consistent with such futures or are we “on the wrong track”‘?). This type of research develops and uses heuristic tools to understand what we want and why, rather than providing more or less accurate predictions; given the unpredictability of human behaviour this may be an asset rather than a limitation. Among the methodologies and approaches in this area we can include visioning exercises intended to identify ecological and/or socio-economic surprises, or to illustrate the perceptions of various social groups and their priorities in relation to what should or could be done; development of scenarios that make explicit some of the consequences of different courses of action for the future state of the environment, social equity, economic development, and so on. A particularly promising approach in this area is the development of integrated (environmental) assessments; these utilize models and other tools within interdisciplinary frameworks in order
89
Sustainable futures and Europe: A Liberatore and A Sors
to analyse the key interactions between the causes of and possible social responses to environmental problems at various temporal and/or spatial scales, in such a way as to inform policy decision l
and social debate. In linking current
action
with desirable
and/or
plausible
futures,
we
need research which can help to assess how we can move towards sustainable development. Such research include comparative policy analysis intended to learn lessons from past and current experience in order to guide future policy formulation and implementation; the identification of “warning signals” and the development of sustainable development indicators (dynamic rather than static); the examination of possible socio-economic impacts of environmental change and the identification of regions or social groups which may be particularly vulnerable to these impacts; the analysis of governance and the conditions for and barriers to the institutional changes which are required to move towards sustainability; the identification of new challenges to security, including the possible scarcity of key natural resources and the conflicts over their access and utilization; the analysis of the evolution of trade/environment relations and the possible emergence of new economic models. Of cause, these three broad “categories” should be taken cum grano salis; while, in our view, they refer to different aims and outcomes of research, in practice they are often linked at the level of programmes and of individual research projects.
Perspectives The complexity of environmental problems and the high social stakes which are involved requires new forms and types of knowledge to be (further) developed. Knowledge that is based upon the acceptance of the intrinsic links between human beings and the environment; that acknowledges and makes explicit the uncertainties or indeterminacy of certain social as well as physical processes; that provides frameworks for informed and pluralistic policy making and public debate. In other words, the development of interdisciplinary and policy/socially relevant knowledge is to be encouraged; interdisciplinary, so as to better grasp the interactions between diverse physical and socio-economic processes, and socially/policy relevant in order to improve the quality of life and of the environment, and to assist the choice and implementation of current and future action. The role of research in responding to citizen’s needs and concerns is stressed, for example, in the European Commission’s document “Inventing Tomorrow. Europe’s research at the service of its people” (the title is self-explanatory) (CEC, 1996). So our viewpoint from Brussels is that, while great effort has been made, European research is faced with a major challenge in order to foster sustainable futures in Europe and beyond.
References Commission (1993) Towards Sustainability. A European Community Programme of Policy and Action in Relation to the Environment and Sustainable Development. Offke for Official Publications of the European Commu-
European
nities, Luxemburg.
90
Sustainable futures and Europe: A Liberatore and A Sors
Commission (1994) White Paper, Growth, Competitiveness, Employment. The Challenges and Ways Forward in the 21st Century. Office for Offkial
European
Publications of the European Communities, Luxemburg. In the final chapter of the White Paper reference is made to the need for a new development model. European Commission (1996) Inventing Tomorrow. Europe’s Research at the Service of its People. Preliminary Guidelines for the Fifth Framework Programme. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities,
Luxemburg.
91
Pergamon
1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All nghts reserved Prmted m Great Britain.
PII:
so959-378q97)offoo2-2
0959.37xo;97 517.00+000
Viewpoint
Sustainable futures and Europe: a research viewpoint from Brussels Angela Liberatore and Andrew Sors’
How can research help shape sustainable futures? This paper explores some current and future avenues with specific European regard to the context. lnterdlscipllnary and policy-relevant knowledge requires further development in order to tackle the complex relations between society and the environment as well as to antlclpate, and respond to, environmental problems and the related social needs and concerns. 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.
words: European research, Key sustainable futures, policy relevant knowledge Angela Liberatore and Andrew Sors are both with the European Commission, Directorate General Science, Research and Development, Unit Socio-economic Aspects of the Environment, Rue de la Loi 200, 1049 Brussels,
Belgium.
Should we care about the future? If sustainable development is to be considered as a desirable and practical social goal, then we need to explore the relations between current and future state of affairs. Whether we wish to take care of future generations, or whether our prime concern is to ease the burden of many of our fellow citizens, we are faced with urgent issues related to the ecologically sound and socially equitable management of resources. And tackling these requires a future oriented perspective that acknowledges that the future starts now, but that it does not need to be-and in practice it is unlikely to be--like the present. Exloring the relations between present and future becomes even more important if we are concerned with the links between sustainable development and global environmental change. For example, vulnerability of certain regions and communities to extreme weather events such as floods and droughts is a current problem that could also provide a warning signal for even more acute problems to come, such as increased vulnerability to climate change impacts. Again, we need to avoid myopia and instead try to address future implications of present actions.
Visions of Europe
‘The views expressed in the article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.
Contextualizing problems is generally a useful exercise. Problems with global consequences are both addressed and can carry impacts within diverse ecological, socio-economic, institutional and cultural contexts. Working in Brussels, with the task of promoting European research, we would like to present some reflections within a European context. Moving towards sustainability is a prime commitment of the European Union, as stated in the Fifth Environmental Action Programme (European Commission, 1993). Its pursuit entails a process of continuous confrontation with other commitments, such as economic competitiveness, monetary union or the reduction in unemployment. Within this
87
Sustainable,futures and Europe: A Liberafore and A Sors
broad framework, socially and technologically driven sustainable development can either be regarded as a secondary objective, or as a major challenge that calls for a new development model (European Commission, 1994). In the first case, the pursuit of sustainable development becomes a sort of luxury that can only be afforded once more urgent European Union’s priorities such as economic integration are well on their way. In the second case, the very process of European integration is seen as one in which economic, social and ecologial dimensions are interlinked and thus calls for innovation in as diverse-but interrelated areas-as production processes, consumption patterns, governance structures, and so on. The matter becomes even more complex and important if one takes into account the fact that the European Union cannot be seen in isolation from-but is rather an integral part of-the broader European and global context. What are the different visions of Europe currently at stake? What are plausible and desirable European futures which we might move towards? And which of these futures are sustainable? Addressing questions such as these is an important and urgent task and there are some efforts in this direction. However, the systematic and pluralistic articulation of visions and the development of heuristic tools to explore plausible and desirable futures requires further effort. It also requires that these efforts begin to touch on the nitty gritty of policymaking.
Scientific inquiry and sustainable development What specific contribution can research make to help shape sustainable futures in Europe and beyond? ScientiIic research-both in the natural and social science fields-is both a value and an obligation in most contemporary societies. A value, since this is an activity in which the right to freedom of opinion (e.g. in the form of critical debate between different theories) is continuously put to the test. An obligation, because research is increasingly required to respond to social concerns and to policy demands, including the identification of future trends and risks; this is certainly the case in Europe, but applies also elsewhere. These two aspects cannot be separated. Without open and critical debate no sound analysis and improved understanding of physical and of social processes can be developed. And if the social implications of different research directions are not properly explored, research might either be irrelevant or even become detrimental, if it gives rise to risks it cannot manage. A significant research effort on sustainable development has been initiated in Europe as well as in other parts of the world in a way that marries critical debate and socially useful production of knowledge. It is to this emerging-but far from mainstreamIield of research that we turn now our attention. Understanding the fundamental interrelations between human beings and the environment-the core of sustainable development research-is a relatively novel research task. Both at the national and international levels, research on the environment was initially approached as an exclusive domain of physical and biological sciences or ecology. In the late eighties and early nineties, so-called “human dimensions” or “socioeconomic environmental research” started gaining some interest and support. It is beyond the scope of this article to provide an explanation of such delayed emergence. However factors that played a role include
88
Sustainable futures
and Europe: A Liberatore and A Sot-s
the different state of development of different research communities/ branches, the tendency to define the “environment” as a physical entity and to disregard the human causes-and impacts-of its degradation, the early “curative” approach of environmental policies and the related search for remediation technologies. Gradually, an increased realization of the complexity of environmental issues, the shift towards more anticipatory/precautionary environmental policies, as well as the recognition of the need to understand how and why humans are both part of the problem and of the solution, gave birth to socio-economic environmental/“human dimensions” research. For the sake of clarity, we may distinguish three components of sustainable development research: research to assist current action and policy making; research to elucidate visions and explore futures; and research to link current trends with desirable (e.g. sustainable) futures in Europe and at the broader international level. l
l
Research to support current action includes the provision of knowledge and methodologies to promote changes in economy and behaviour and to support more effective environmental policies. An indicative, but by no means comprehensive “list” of topics here include: the development of valuation and green accounting methodologies which are intended to promote the internalization of environmental costs/externalities in economic activities (particularly in production processes); the development of innovation research, technology assessment and life-cycle methodologies to assist the selection and diffusion of environmentally-friendly technologies and to promote eco-efficiency; the analysis of the cost-effectiveness, social acceptability and institutional feasibility of various policy instruments and plans; the identification of barriers to and conditions for the integration of environmental considerations into policy making; the assessment of the effectiveness of environmental institutions; and the development of conflict resolution methodologies. Research to elucidate visions and explore desirable and/or plausible futures is based upon the identification of social views that guide behaviour at the collective and at the individual level, as well as upon a pluralistic approach to the assement of what futures are seen as desirable and plausible (e.g. are sustainable futures seen as desirable, and by which social groups? What would they look like? Are current trends consistent with such futures or are we “on the wrong track”‘?). This type of research develops and uses heuristic tools to understand what we want and why, rather than providing more or less accurate predictions; given the unpredictability of human behaviour this may be an asset rather than a limitation. Among the methodologies and approaches in this area we can include visioning exercises intended to identify ecological and/or socio-economic surprises, or to illustrate the perceptions of various social groups and their priorities in relation to what should or could be done; development of scenarios that make explicit some of the consequences of different courses of action for the future state of the environment, social equity, economic development, and so on. A particularly promising approach in this area is the development of integrated (environmental) assessments; these utilize models and other tools within interdisciplinary frameworks in order
89
Sustainable futures and Europe: A Liberatore and A Sors
to analyse the key interactions between the causes of and possible social responses to environmental problems at various temporal and/or spatial scales, in such a way as to inform policy decision l
and social debate. In linking current
action
with desirable
and/or
plausible
futures,
we
need research which can help to assess how we can move towards sustainable development. Such research include comparative policy analysis intended to learn lessons from past and current experience in order to guide future policy formulation and implementation; the identification of “warning signals” and the development of sustainable development indicators (dynamic rather than static); the examination of possible socio-economic impacts of environmental change and the identification of regions or social groups which may be particularly vulnerable to these impacts; the analysis of governance and the conditions for and barriers to the institutional changes which are required to move towards sustainability; the identification of new challenges to security, including the possible scarcity of key natural resources and the conflicts over their access and utilization; the analysis of the evolution of trade/environment relations and the possible emergence of new economic models. Of cause, these three broad “categories” should be taken cum grano salis; while, in our view, they refer to different aims and outcomes of research, in practice they are often linked at the level of programmes and of individual research projects.
Perspectives The complexity of environmental problems and the high social stakes which are involved requires new forms and types of knowledge to be (further) developed. Knowledge that is based upon the acceptance of the intrinsic links between human beings and the environment; that acknowledges and makes explicit the uncertainties or indeterminacy of certain social as well as physical processes; that provides frameworks for informed and pluralistic policy making and public debate. In other words, the development of interdisciplinary and policy/socially relevant knowledge is to be encouraged; interdisciplinary, so as to better grasp the interactions between diverse physical and socio-economic processes, and socially/policy relevant in order to improve the quality of life and of the environment, and to assist the choice and implementation of current and future action. The role of research in responding to citizen’s needs and concerns is stressed, for example, in the European Commission’s document “Inventing Tomorrow. Europe’s research at the service of its people” (the title is self-explanatory) (CEC, 1996). So our viewpoint from Brussels is that, while great effort has been made, European research is faced with a major challenge in order to foster sustainable futures in Europe and beyond.
References Commission (1993) Towards Sustainability. A European Community Programme of Policy and Action in Relation to the Environment and Sustainable Development. Offke for Official Publications of the European Commu-
European
nities, Luxemburg.
90
Sustainable futures and Europe: A Liberatore and A Sors
Commission (1994) White Paper, Growth, Competitiveness, Employment. The Challenges and Ways Forward in the 21st Century. Office for Offkial
European
Publications of the European Communities, Luxemburg. In the final chapter of the White Paper reference is made to the need for a new development model. European Commission (1996) Inventing Tomorrow. Europe’s Research at the Service of its People. Preliminary Guidelines for the Fifth Framework Programme. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities,
Luxemburg.
91