The Dark Side of Transformation: Latent Risks in Contemporary Sustainability Discourse |
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| Authors: | Jessica Blythe Jennifer Silver Louisa Evans Derek Armitage Nathan J Bennett Michele‐Lee Moore Tiffany H Morrison Katrina Brown |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada;2. College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada;3. College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK;4. Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada;5. University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France;6. Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Monterey, CA, USA;7. Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada;8. Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden;9. ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia |
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| Abstract: | The notion of transformation is gaining traction in contemporary sustainability debates. New ways of theorising and supporting transformations are emerging and, so the argument goes, opening exciting spaces to (re)imagine and (re)structure radically different futures. Yet, questions remain about how the term is being translated from an academic concept into an assemblage of normative policies and practices, and how this process might shape social, political, and environmental change. Motivated by these questions, we identify five latent risks associated with discourse that frames transformation as apolitical and/or inevitable. We refer to these risks as the dark side of transformation. While we cannot predict the future of radical transformations towards sustainability, we suggest that scientists, policymakers, and practitioners need to consider such change in more inherently plural and political ways. |
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| Keywords: | transformation transformations to sustainability sustainable development goals (SDGs) power politics discourse |
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