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Unpacking sustainabilities in diverse transition contexts: solar photovoltaic and urban mobility experiments in India and Thailand

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posted on 2023-06-09, 07:02 authored by Rob Raven, Bipashyee GhoshBipashyee Ghosh, Anna Wieczorek, Andrew StirlingAndrew Stirling, Duke Ghosh, Suyash Jolly, Eakanut Karjangtimapron, Sidtinat Prabudhanitisarn, Joyashree Roy, Somporn Sangawongse, Frans Sengers
It is generally accepted that the concept of sustainability is not straightforward, but is subject to ongoing ambiguities, uncertainties and contestations. Yet literature on sustainability transitions has so far only engaged in limited ways with the resulting tough questions around what sustainability means, to whom and in which contexts. This paper makes a contribution to this debate by unpacking sustainability in India and Thailand in the context of solar photovoltaic and urban mobility experimentation. Building on a database of sustainability experiments and multicriteria mapping techniques applied in two workshops, the paper concludes that sustainability transition scholarship and associated governance strategies must engage with such questions in at least three important ways. First, there is a need for extreme caution in assuming any objective status for the sustainability of innovations, and for greater reflection on the normative implications of case study choices. Second, sustainability transition scholarship and governance must engage more with the unpacking of uncertainties and diverse possible socio-technical configurations even within (apparently) singular technological fields. Third, sustainability transition scholarship must be more explicit and reflective about the specific geographical contexts within which the sustainability of experimentation is addressed.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Sustainability Science

ISSN

1862-4065

Publisher

Springer Verlag

Issue

4

Volume

12

Page range

579-596

Department affiliated with

  • SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2017-07-06

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2017-07-06

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2017-07-06

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