NEWS

Steering Committee Meeting

The SSCP KAN Steering Committee had a productive meeting last October 13, 2021. Attended by 18 members, the agenda was full with a lot of exciting updates from the different WGs, new initiatives being developed by some groups, a report back about the Future Earth First Assembly meeting and paper writing projects in Global Environmental Change and Discover Sustainability. A lightning workshop using a Miro Board (check it out HERE) reviewed the output from the Agenda Setting event in March and identified several ideas worth following up such as: a KAN-wide policy brief; connecting with practitioners; and justice and equity as a cross cutting theme for all WGs. An SSCP KAN online conference and preparing for the Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action seem to be the main action points in the short term.  There was consensus in the Steering Committee on continuing and organizing more action oriented activities as well as the need for funding.  The Belmont Forum CRA on SSCP is seen as a big opportunity to organize multiple project proposals.

SSCP KAN Conference Being Planned for 2nd Half of 2022

A small group from the Steering Committee gathered online last November 3, for a discussion on the prospect of holding a SSCP KAN online conference in the latter half of 2022. The goal of the conference would be for the KAN to inspire and be inspired to new research and action in the realm of SCP.  The initial plan is to feature “action-oriented”, transdisciplinary, action-research projects from the KAN (WGs) and broader SCP, workshops to learn new skills and creative ways of communicating, inclusion of non-Western, indigenous perspectives on SCP among others.

Those interested in joining the organizing group for the conference are welcome to join. The next meeting will be held on Dec. 1st (Wednesday).  Please reach out to Co-chairs Steven McGreevy or Ginnie Guillen-Hanson.

Call for Proposals SRI2022

The call for session proposals for Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress 2022 (SRI2022) is now open. A joint initiative of Future Earth and the Belmont Forum, the SRI is a series of gatherings that unite global research leaders, experts, industries and innovators to inspire action and promote a sustainability transformation. The second edition of the SRI Congress will be held in Pretoria, South Africa,  June 20-24, 2022, and online.  The Congress themes, session types, submission guidelines and selection criteria can be explored in the SRI2022 website.  WGs and other interest groups within the KAN are encouraged to organize sessions on SSCP related themes.

Submission deadline is February 5, 2022, at 23:59 SAST (UTC +2).

Please also note that there will be two informational webinars for anyone interested in submitting a session proposal on December 9, 2021, at 09:00 SAST (UTC+2) and 17:00 SAST (UTC+2).

RECAP

Belmont Forum Informational Webinar

An informational webinar on the Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action process was organized last Nov. 9.  Judit Ungvari, co-lead for Future Earth’s Research and Innovation and formerly part of Belmont Forum Secretariat, walked through the process of applying for a grant proposal under the Belmont Forum CRA. The recording can be viewed HERE.  Powerpoint slides can be accessed HERE.  This served as an orientation and a heads up in anticipation of a CRA call on SSCP expected to be opened early next year.

SPOTLIGHT 

Circular Economy Working Group

The Circular Economy Working Group (CE WG)  held a meeting on November 1, with about a dozen members in attendance to introduce the members, provide updates for ongoing activities, and make pitches for new projects.

• In 2020, members of the CE WG together with others sent a formal letter to the Vice-President of the European Commission to raise the issue of the need for new training programs to equip people with the knowledge and skills needed to implement the European Green Deal. The group proposed active involvement to outline the key challenges to upskilling and to explore ways into designing a research agenda and educational programmes aligned with the EC Green Deal. Two workshops have already been conducted as an outcome of this proposal.
• The WG collaborated recently on a proposal for a €1.6 million, 3-year project on a multi-level international comparative analysis of CESI systems to the Trans-Atlantic Platform for Recovery, Renewal and and Resilience research grant competition. The results are not yet known, but it was a very productive engagement within the WG.  The inclusive and highly collaborative process inspired them to continue developing ideas and concrete projects together.
• The CE WG meeting format has been amended to create space for sharing of pitches for projects related to circular economy or circular society. Project ideas were proposed on several new topics: CE Curriculum Resource Lab, CE Futures, African indigenous epistemologies contribution to CE, economic formalisation and the role of circular practices. The CE WG invites others to be involved in the working group and these potential projects. For more information on the projects and how to join them, please contact CEWG Co-chairs: Paul Dewick p.dewick@keele.ac.uk; Joerg Hofsetter; joerg.hofstetter@kedgebs.com; and Joseph Sarkis, jsarkis@wpi.edu.

Recent Publications from SSCP KAN

Ten New Insights In Climate Science 2021

This year’s article on 10 new insights in climate science was published in Global Sustainability.  Felix Kwabena Donkor and Sylvia Lorek, both members of the Future Earth Knowledge-Action Network on Systems for Sustainable Consumption and Production (KAN SSCP) as well as Satoshi Kojiama, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan co-authored Insight 6 – The Often Overlooked Potential of Demand-side solutions as vehicles of climate mitigation.

Highlighting the recent, 2021 research on 1.5-Degree Lifestyles and ConsumptionCorridors the insight summarizes that fostering demand-side solutions would greatly facilitate meeting the Paris goals. They require behavioral change as well as actions by the public and business sectors to trigger tipping dynamics for deep systemic structural transformations. Democratic processes are needed to establish equitable minimum and maximum levels of consumption ensuring that basic needs are fulfilled for all.

1.5-Degree Lifestyles: Towards a Fair Consumption Space for All

Translating the political goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C into concrete visions for 1.5° Lifestyles has created a great push for our common topic. The report expands the number of countries analyzed, includes a section on policies, and also illustrates scenarios for getting to 2.5t by 2030. Sylvia Lorek and Eva Alfredsson, both of the KAN SSCP,  served as reviewers for the report.

Upcoming Events

Webinar: Imagined Futures of Consumption

10-11.30am CET Wednesday 1 December 2021

Organized by the SSCP KAN Working Group on Social Change Beyond Consumerism

Speaker: Dan Welch, Sustainable Consumption Institute, University of Manchester, UK

Zoom link: https://unige.zoom.us/j/63632522909

You can find more information HERE.

About News Xchange

This news Xchange will be regularly published In order to share  information about the WG and KAN initiatives.  We hope that this can facilitate interaction and synergy among Working Groups and stimulate the activities of the KAN as a whole.  The perspectives of each Working Group and their past accomplishments can be found on their respective web pages and events and other info continue to be in the SSCP KAN website.