Four misunderstandings about sustainability and transitions
- Author
- Thomas Block (UGent) and Erik Paredis (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- In this book chapter, Thomas Block and Erik Paredis discuss four misunderstandings about sustainability and transitions. These popular and often-used concepts are subject to a diversity of interpretations and misunderstandings about their meaning. Four common ‘misunderstandings’ are (1) that sustainability is only about ecological concerns, (2) that we need a waterproof and objective definition of sustainability, (3) that every change towards sustainability can be seen as a transition and (4) that we can easily plan and manage sustainability transitions. The authors argue that sustainability is neither an objective standard nor an arbitrary concept, but that it is a broad political notion. Through a brief introduction to the multilevel perspective on sustainability transitions, they also indicate that building a more sustainable world is a very complex process that requires fundamental changes in socio-technical regimes. Transitions, they argue, go hand in hand with resistance, power struggles and questions of legitimacy which constitute its political dimension.
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8613372
- MLA
- Block, Thomas, and Erik Paredis. “Four Misunderstandings about Sustainability and Transitions.” Sustainable Development Teaching : Ethical and Political Challenges, edited by Katrien Van Poeck et al., Routledge, 2019, pp. 15–27.
- APA
- Block, T., & Paredis, E. (2019). Four misunderstandings about sustainability and transitions. In K. Van Poeck, L. O. Östman, & J. Öhman (Eds.), Sustainable development teaching : ethical and political challenges (pp. 15–27). Routledge.
- Chicago author-date
- Block, Thomas, and Erik Paredis. 2019. “Four Misunderstandings about Sustainability and Transitions.” In Sustainable Development Teaching : Ethical and Political Challenges, edited by Katrien Van Poeck, Leif Olov Östman, and Johan Öhman, 15–27. Routledge.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Block, Thomas, and Erik Paredis. 2019. “Four Misunderstandings about Sustainability and Transitions.” In Sustainable Development Teaching : Ethical and Political Challenges, ed by. Katrien Van Poeck, Leif Olov Östman, and Johan Öhman, 15–27. Routledge.
- Vancouver
- 1.Block T, Paredis E. Four misunderstandings about sustainability and transitions. In: Van Poeck K, Östman LO, Öhman J, editors. Sustainable development teaching : ethical and political challenges. Routledge; 2019. p. 15–27.
- IEEE
- [1]T. Block and E. Paredis, “Four misunderstandings about sustainability and transitions,” in Sustainable development teaching : ethical and political challenges, K. Van Poeck, L. O. Östman, and J. Öhman, Eds. Routledge, 2019, pp. 15–27.
@incollection{8613372,
abstract = {{In this book chapter, Thomas Block and Erik Paredis discuss four misunderstandings about sustainability and transitions. These popular and often-used concepts are subject to a diversity of interpretations and misunderstandings about their meaning. Four common ‘misunderstandings’ are (1) that sustainability is only about ecological concerns, (2) that we need a waterproof and objective definition of sustainability, (3) that every change towards sustainability can be seen as a transition and (4) that we can easily plan and manage sustainability transitions. The authors argue that sustainability is neither an objective standard nor an arbitrary concept, but that it is a broad political notion. Through a brief introduction to the multilevel perspective on sustainability transitions, they also indicate that building a more sustainable world is a very complex process that requires fundamental changes in socio-technical regimes. Transitions, they argue, go hand in hand with resistance, power struggles and questions of legitimacy which constitute its political
dimension.}},
author = {{Block, Thomas and Paredis, Erik}},
booktitle = {{Sustainable development teaching : ethical and political challenges}},
editor = {{Van Poeck, Katrien and Östman, Leif Olov and Öhman, Johan}},
isbn = {{9780815357537}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{15--27}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
series = {{Routledge Studies in Sustainability}},
title = {{Four misunderstandings about sustainability and transitions}},
url = {{https://www.routledge.com/Sustainable-Development-Teaching-Ethical-and-Political-Challenges/Poeck-Ostman-Ohman/p/book/9780815357537}},
year = {{2019}},
}