{"id":6894,"date":"2024-03-07T11:01:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T11:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/humanities-blog\/?p=6894"},"modified":"2024-03-07T11:01:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T11:01:02","slug":"sustainable-futures-five-ways-social-science-can-help-us-understand-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/humanities-blog\/2024\/03\/07\/sustainable-futures-five-ways-social-science-can-help-us-understand-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable futures: five ways social science can help us understand change"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” fullwidth=”on” next_background_color=”#000000″ global_module=”322″][et_pb_fullwidth_menu global_parent=”322″ _builder_version=”3.17.6″ menu_id=”8″ submenu_direction=”downwards” fullwidth_menu=”off” module_class=”main-navigation” background_layout=”dark” \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”on” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#1d1d1d”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ specialty_columns=”2″][et_pb_row_inner locked=”off”][et_pb_column_inner type=”4_4″ saved_specialty_column_type=”2_3″][et_pb_post_title _builder_version=”3.0.106″ title=”on” meta=”on” author=”on” date=”on” categories=”on” comments=”on” featured_image=”on” featured_placement=”above” text_color=”dark” text_background=”off” locked=”on” parent_locked=”off” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_layout=”light” parent_locked=”off”]<\/p>\n

Profound social change is urgently needed to mitigate the climate crisis and meet other sustainability goals, according to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). <\/a><\/p>\n

Dr Daniel Welch<\/a>, a Lecture in Sociology at The University of Manchester\u2019s Sustainable Consumption Institute, explains five ways in which social science is emerging as a driving force for implementing changes towards a sustainable future.<\/p>\n

1) Social justice and equity are central to a sustainable future<\/h3>\n

Social science helps us understand the causes and consequences of social inequality. Inequality is central to understanding change towards a sustainable future because we are not all equally responsible for negative environmental impacts \u2013 the causes are profoundly unevenly distributed between rich and poor.<\/a> Around 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to the world\u2019s richest 10%, while the poorest 50% are responsible for only 10% of global emissions<\/a>. Recognising that is critical for identifying realistic solutions. And the consequences of the environmental crisis are unevenly distributed \u2013 raising issues of environmental and climate justice. Social justice isn\u2019t a \u2018nice-to-have\u2019 in transitions towards sustainability. The IPCC\u2019s research on global scenarios that aim to limit global warming to 1.5C has found that \u201csocial justice and equity are core aspects of climate-resilient development pathways\u201d.<\/a><\/p>\n

2) Technological change is always socio-technical change<\/h3>\n

Transitions towards a sustainable future are often presented as a technological challenge – renewable energy, electric cars. But technological changes always cause, and take place within the context of, social change \u2013 these are processes of socio-technical change. Just think about how profoundly the technological transition from horse drawn transport to fossil-fuel driven trains, cars and planes has changed society. Or how within less than a generation smart phones and social media have transformed everyday life.<\/p>\n

3) Understanding sustainability means understanding everyday life<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s a commonplace to say that the level of resources we consume today \u2013 whether the food we eat, fossil fuels, or the minerals essential for electronic devices \u2013 are unsustainable. The challenge of sustainability is often framed as \u201cconsumerism\u201d or \u201cmaterialism\u201d \u2013 and of course excessive consumption matters<\/a> \u2013 but the central challenge is the environmental impact of the bundle of goods and services necessary to live a normal life in a consumer society<\/a>. It is the level of resources consumed to live normal lives in the consumer societies of industrialised nations that is the issue. But today\u2019s \u201cnormal\u201d \u2013 whether expectations of cleanliness, comfort or convenience,<\/a> mobility or digital connectivity \u2013 is very different from \u201cnormal\u201d just a generation ago. Social science can explain these processes that rachet up environmental impacts. At the same time, we need radically changed norms and practices to transition to a sustainable society. Social science provides the tools to understand the potential barriers to, and opportunities for, that radical social change.<\/p>\n

4) Understanding scales and agents of change<\/h3>\n

Transitions towards environmental sustainability can only be effective if far-reaching changes to lifestyles, institutions and economies complement technological change. And yet sustainability is often presented in terms of individual behaviour change<\/a>: eat organic, ride a bike, plant a tree and save the world! This is what social scientists call \u201cthe individualisation of environmental responsibility\u201d. It\u2019s often well-meaning, and of course, those of us living high-consumption lifestyles do need to change how we live. But \u201cindividualisation\u201d is also a convenient way of diverting responsibility from those with real power to effect change<\/a>. Social science offers resources to understand processes of social change at a range of scales, from individuals and households, to organisations and institutions, to wholesale change in how societies and economies work.<\/p>\n

5) How people understand the future shapes how social change takes place<\/h3>\n

How we imagine the future \u2013 whether in our everyday expectations, in business plans, the visions of social movements or science fiction – effects how social change towards the future actually takes place. Research I\u2019ve conducted shows people can envisage a future sustainable society, but they really struggle to imagine the social processes involved to get us there.<\/a> The novelist Amitav Ghosh argues \u201cThe climate crisis is also a crisis of culture, and thus of the imagination\u201d.<\/a> Social science has tools to understand how people imagine the future<\/a> and processes of social change, to help people creatively engage in thinking about possible futures<\/a> and the routes by which we might get there.<\/a> We have tremendous imaginative capacity for cultural change<\/a>. And the lessons of history show that radical social and cultural change can and does happen, in the space of a generation. But we need to understand those processes so we can help shape them.<\/p>\n

Interested in driving social change? Check out our new MA Social Change, Environment and Sustainability<\/a> course.<\/p>\n

Blog supported by the Impact(H) Campaign,<\/a> click the link to find out more.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.17.6″ src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/Ko8h6CT53Tk” \/][et_pb_post_nav _builder_version=”3.0.106″ in_same_term=”off” show_prev=”on” show_next=”on” prev_text=”Previous” next_text=”Next” locked=”on” parent_locked=”off” \/][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”3.0.106″ show_avatar=”on” show_reply=”on” show_count=”on” background_layout=”light” header_font_size_tablet=”51″ header_line_height_tablet=”2″ custom_button=”on” button_icon_placement=”right” button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_use_icon=”off” locked=”on” parent_locked=”off” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_size__hover=”null” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover=”null” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover=”null” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover=”null” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover=”null” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover=”null” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover=”null” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover=”null” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover=”null” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover=”null” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover=”null” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover=”null” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover=”null” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover=”null” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover=”null” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover=”null” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover=”null” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover=”null” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Related posts” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light” locked=”on” parent_locked=”off”]<\/p>\n

Related<\/h1>\n\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=”3.0.106″ area=”sidebar-1″ orientation=”left” show_border=”off” background_layout=”light” locked=”on” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Connect Title” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” _builder_version=”3.0.90″ background_color=”#1d1d1d” module_class=”footer-section” prev_background_color=”#ffffff” global_module=”380″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” global_parent=”380″ locked=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” make_equal=”off” module_id=”footer-row” _builder_version=”3.0.89″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Contact Us Title” global_parent=”380″ background_layout=”dark” text_text_color=”#ffffff” parent_locked=”off” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n

Contact Us<\/h4>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Contact Us” global_parent=”380″ text_text_color=”#aaaaaa” parent_locked=”off” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” module_class=”contact-us” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n

+44 (0) 161 306 6000<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Find Us Title” global_parent=”380″ background_layout=”dark” text_text_color=”#ffffff” parent_locked=”off” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n

Find Us<\/h4>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Address” global_parent=”380″ background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” module_id=”address” parent_locked=”off” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n

The University of Manchester
Oxford Rd
Manchester
M13 9PL
UK<\/a><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Connect Title” global_parent=”380″ background_layout=”dark” text_text_color=”#ffffff” parent_locked=”off” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n

Connect With Us<\/h4>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=”Social Media” global_parent=”380″ parent_locked=”off” _builder_version=”3.17.6″]<\/p>\n