Suchergebnisse

Sustainability is a normative topic framed by disciplinary perspectives. This can be problematic as the tools that are used and applied to meta-problems and 'grand challenges' associated with societal (un)sustainability, and which may result in proposed 'sustainable solutions', are framed through the lens of the 'object world' disciplinarian. Traditional engineering education and practice has tended to frame problems in narrow techno-economic terms, often neglecting broader social, environmental, ethical and political issues; or what might be termed the social complexities of problems (Bucciarelli, 2008; Mulder et al., 2012). This reductionist approach has sought to close down risk and uncertainty through deterministic modelling and design, resulting in frameworks/models which provide an air of misplaced confidence but which are incapable of accounting for (or recognising) unknowability, and can thus lead to behaviour which ironically, results in increased fragility, rather than promoting increased robustness or resilience. Researchers in the social sciences and humanities are inherently more comfortable and adept with dealing with complexity, uncertainty and unknowability. This paper is posited in this context, whereby chemical engineering and sociology students taking respective disciplinary sustainability/environmental modules were brought together to work on a common assignment dealing with some aspect of sustainability. This paper reflects on this collaborative exercise, including the experiences of the students themselves, alongside some challenges and successes. It concludes that transdisciplinary approaches to learning are not just desirable in addressing wicked and meta-problems when addressing challenges of (un)sustainability, but represent a sine qua non for building the social capacity in confronting these issues. ; Non UBC ; Unreviewed ; Faculty ; Other

This article explores the implications of participation for Environmental Policy Integration (EPI), through the window of Irish energy policy, employing concepts of 'energy democracy' and 'energy citizenship'. Our analysis of a consultation process on energy policy identifies distinctive narratives, with different idealisations of energy citizens. We distil the implications of consequent, emergent institutional innovations examining imagined citi- zens, communication, participation and decision-making linked to policy. We adapt and operationalise the analytical framework of discursive institutionalism (Schmidt, 2008), using explanatory factors for EPI (Runhaar et al., 2017). Relocating the specific consultation in the wider process preceding and following its outcomes we examine the degree, and conditions under which participation advances EPI in the sector. We suggest that energy citizenship constructs and processes of energy democratisation remain highly contingent on context. Nevertheless, 'principled priority' (Lafferty and Hovden, 2003) though often involving trade-offs in practice, ought not be decoupled from processes of democratisation that may underpin its sustainability.

1. Contexts of transdisciplinarity : drivers, discourses and process / Gerard Mullally, Colin Sage and Edmond Byrne -- 2. Disciplines, perspectives and conversations / Gerard Mullally, Edmond Byrne and Colin Sage -- 3. Sustainability as contingent balance between opposing though interdependent tendencies : a process approach to progress and evolution / Edmond Byrne -- 4. Paradigmatic transformation across the disciplines : snapshots of an emerging complexity informed approach to progress, evolution and sustainability / Edmond Byrne -- 5. Fear and loading in the anthropocene : narratives of apocalypse and salvation in the irish media / Gerard Mullally -- 6. Bio-fuelling the Hummer? : transdisciplinary thoughts on techno-optimism and innovation in the transition from unsustainability / John Barry -- 7. The gulf between legal and scientific conceptions of ecological "integrity" : the need for a shared understanding in regulatory policy-making / Owen McIntyre and John O'Halloran -- 8. Precaution and prudence in sustainability : heuristic of fear and heuristic of love / Benedicte Sage-Fuller -- 9. Sustainable future ecological communities : on the absence and continuity of sacred symbols, sublime objects and charismatic heroes / Kieran Keohane -- 10. Using energy systems modelling to inform Ireland's low carbon future / Brian Gallachoir, Paul Deane and Alessandro Chiodi -- 11. Markets, productivism and the implications for irish rural sustainable development / Mary O'Shaughnessy and Colin Sage -- 12. Nanomaterials as an emerging category of environmental pollutants / David Sheehan -- 13. Sustaining interdisciplinarity? : reflections on an inter-institutional exchange by an early stage researcher / Stephan Maier, Michael Narodoslawsky and Gerard Mullally -- 14. In praise of intellectual promiscuity in the service of a "passion for sustainability" / John Barry -- 15. Transdisciplinarity within the university : emergent possibilities, opportunities, challenges and constraints / Edmond Byrne, Colin Sage and Gerard Mullally.

1. Metaphor, Transformation and Transdisciplinarity Colin Sage, Ian Hughes, Edmond Byrne, Ger MullallyPart 1: Metaphors of Reason2. Metaphors of Technological Change Fionn Rogan3. Nitrogen, Planetary Boundaries, and the Metabolic Rift: Using Metaphor for Dietary Transitions Toward a Safe Operating Space Colin Sage4. Alchemical and Cyborgian Imaginings in Technoscientific Discourse on Holistic Turns in Food Processing and Personalised Nutrition Shane V. Crowley5. Carbon Budgets: A Metaphor to Bridge the Science -- Policy Interface on Climate Change Action James GlynnPart 2: Myths and Metaphors of Unreason6. Why the Metaphor of Complementary Dualism, and Metaphor Itself, are Foundational to Achieving Sustainability Edmond Byrne7. Myth Beyond Metaphor: Myths in Transition Evan James Boyle8. The Hare and the Tortoise; Metaphorical Lessons Around Sustainability Connor McGookin, Brian Ó Gallachóir and Edmond ByrnePart 3: Metaphor, Myth and Mind9. Myth, Metaphor and Parable in the Psychoanalytic Concept of Development Ian Hughes10. The Elusive Target: Towards an Understanding of the Metaphors About Dementia and Sustainability Cormac Sheehan11. The Shamanic Dream as a Metaphor of Transformative Change Lidia GuzyPart 4: Metaphors of Creativity and Practice12. Joyce's Arches / Arcs / Arks: Portals as Metaphors of Transition from the Antediluvian Anthropocene Kieran Keohane13. Patterns of Interference: The Ethics of Diffraction in Mike McCormack's Solar Bones Maureen O'Connor14. The Rain Box: Raining on the Radio and Other Stories Jools Gilson

This book offers an eclectic range of transdisciplinary insights into the role of metaphor, myth and fable in shaping our understanding of the world and how we interact with it and with each other. Drawing on innovative perspectives from widely different fields, this book explores how metaphor might facilitate and underpin transformative change towards environmental, ecological and societal sustainability. It illustrates the ways in which contemporary metaphors lock us into patterns of thinking, modes of behaviour, and styles of living that reproduce and accentuate our current socio-environmental problems. It sets itself the task of finding new metaphors and myths that might help move us towards sustainability as societal flourishing. By examining the use of metaphor in diverse fields such as energy use, the food system, health care, arts and the humanities, it invites the reader to reflect on the deep-seated influence of language in general, and metaphor in particular, in shaping how we understand and act upon the world. Re-imagining the use of language in framing both the problems we face and the solutions we devise, this novel contribution is a vital source of ideas for those aiming to change how we think and act in pursuit of more sustainable futures.

Energy transition debates have been characterized by a strong emphasis on the technical implications of shifting away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, with little consideration of social contexts. This is now changing, with a growing emphasis on reconfiguring the social aspects of energy, particularly in terms of introducing more democratic processes into behavior change and energy practice engagements. This article situates itself within these debates and demonstrates the transformative potential of combining participatory action research (PAR) approaches with a modified Delphi method for understanding energy transition issues, particularly beyond forecasting instruments. There remains a dearth in literature combining the Delphi method with PAR; its application in the field of energy transitions is very innovative. PAR draws from grassroots and local-based knowledge, Delphi panels typically focus on the insights from a panel of professional experts. In combining these two approaches, to develop principles for an inclusive and just energy transition, a reflexive form of dialogue emerges that gives voice to what are often considered dissonant or mismatched perspectives. Furthermore, the experimental use of a modified Delphi panel, combined with PAR, offers a strategy to promote knowledge sharing between different groups and to counter potential communication barriers among different actors in society. This article shows how a modified Delphi panel approach is considerably enhanced by combining elements of PAR, raising the potential of Delphi panels beyond forecasting instruments, which often seek to determine the way the future "will be," toward an envisioning tool that collaboratively seeks to explore the way a low-carbon system "could be," or perhaps "should be." The development of energy transition principles, endorsed through the modified Delphi panel, offers a concrete way to enact practices of energy justice within a more democratized energy system.