Economic growth, through the increase of goods and services, has long been narrated as resulting in better efficiency and comfort for consumers. However, the resource extraction and infrastructures needed to support economic growth also results in growing inequalities and systematic environmental degradation.
At a time where socio-environmental sustainability is paramount, is a decrease in resource use and their associated emissions compatible with sustained economic growth? How to identify and address the material structures and social processes that entrench unsustainable socio-economic systems? What transformations are needed in order to start envisioning alternative societies for a sustainable and just future?
This webinar explores how the social metabolic analysis framework provides powerful insights into the interrelations between society, environment, and economy. The session will cover the key concepts of social metabolism, and how it can be applied to sustainability issues. As a framework seeking to bridge the social and natural sciences, we will also discuss how a variety of disciplinary approaches can contribute to socio-metabolic research.
Speakers
Helmut Haberl, Institute of Social Ecology Vienna
Eric Pineault, Université du Québec
Anke Schaffartzik, Central European University
Discussion facilitator
Benjamin Fleischmann, Ph.D student at the Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna.
This event is organized in collaboration with the Global Land Programme.
Register here
The Pathways Forum is a bi-monthly online event where researchers from diverse disciplines who engage, or want to engage, with societal actors in processes of adaptive learning to design, implement, and evaluate pathways to sustainability get a chance to reflect on concepts and theories of change, and discuss the practical implications of sustainability science and transdisciplinarity for research practices. Through this webinar series, the Pathways Initiative aims to develop and support agenda-setting, synthesis and capacity building around pathways for sustainability.
