Entry points for accelerating transitions towards a more sustainable future

Enayat Moallemi, Michelle Miller, Katrina Szetey, Sabrina Chakori, Jeda Palmer, Michael Battaglia, Brett A. Bryan, Lei Gao, Andy Hall, ...  more

Enayat Moallemi, Michelle Miller, Katrina Szetey, Sabrina Chakori, Jeda Palmer, Michael Battaglia, Brett A. Bryan, Lei Gao, Andy Hall, Peat Leith, Rob Raven, Patrick M. Reed

Accelerated transitions that enable far-reaching and systemic changes to a more sustainable future are urgently needed to ensure inclusive human development and Earth system stability. Different processes for accelerating transitions have been proposed over the past decade. However, evidence-based guidance on of what these processes are across scientific and policy spheres and their specification in different contexts remain fragmented and ambiguous. Here, we identify nine recurring processes for accelerating change based on an analysis of 60 cases across four transition domains, three geographical scales, and seven continents. We call them e...  more

Accelerated transitions that enable far-reaching and systemic changes to a more sustainable future are urgently needed to ensure inclusive human development and Earth system stability. Different processes for accelerating transitions have been proposed over the past decade. However, evidence-based guidance on of what these processes are across scientific and policy spheres and their specification in different contexts remain fragmented and ambiguous. Here, we identify nine recurring processes for accelerating change based on an analysis of 60 cases across four transition domains, three geographical scales, and seven continents. We call them entry points as they are areas to initiate research and practical interventions aimed at facilitating transitions. Our results show that the prevalence of different entry points varies significantly across domains and scales, indicating there is scope to further improve our understanding of what works, where, and why, to facilitate transitions. The results also highlight three ways that research and policy can take diverse knowledges seriously by integrating multiple complementary entry points in informing far-reaching change. These results can offer guidance for establishing accelerated transition agendas based on deliberative dialogue that draws on diverse perspectives.