Transformative Change Needs Direction

Sander Jacobs (), Fernando Santos-Martín, Eeva Primmer, Fanny Boeraeve, Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez, Vânia Proença, Martin Schlaepfer, Lluis Brotons, Robert Dunford, Sandra Lavorel, Antoine Guisan, Joachim Claudet, Zuzana V. Harmáčková, Inge Liekens, Jennifer Hauck, Kasper Kok, Yves Zinngrebe, Simona Pedde, Bálint Czúcz, Cosimo Solidoro, Matthew Cantele, Christian Rixen, Anna Heck, Jomme Desair, Tobias Plieninger and Paula A. Harrison
Additional contact information
Sander Jacobs: Research Team Nature and Society, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Fernando Santos-Martín: Departamento Tecnología Química y Ambiental, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
Eeva Primmer: Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
Fanny Boeraeve: Département GxABT, Biodiversité et Paysage, Université de Liège-Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez: Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Vânia Proença: Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Martin Schlaepfer: enviroSPACE Laboratory, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Lluis Brotons: Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Robert Dunford: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford LL57 2UW, UK
Sandra Lavorel: Alpine Ecology Laboratory, French National Centre for Scientific Research CNRS, 38610 Grenoble, France
Antoine Guisan: Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Joachim Claudet: French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), 38610 Paris, France
Zuzana V. Harmáčková: Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 60300 Brno, Czech Republic
Inge Liekens: Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek VITO, 2400 Mol, Belgium
Jennifer Hauck: CoKnow, 04838 Jesewitz, Germany
Kasper Kok: Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University & Research WUR, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Yves Zinngrebe: Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Simona Pedde: Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University & Research WUR, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Bálint Czúcz: MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, H-2163 Vácrátót, Hungary
Cosimo Solidoro: Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale OGS, 34010 Sgonico, Italy
Matthew Cantele: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Christian Rixen: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Anna Heck: Research Team Nature and Society, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Jomme Desair: Research Team Nature and Society, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Paula A. Harrison: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-9

Abstract: Comparing the impacts of future scenarios is essential for developing and guiding the political sustainability agenda. This review-based analysis compares six IPBES scenarios for their impacts on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 20 biodiversity targets (Aichi targets) for the Europe and Central Asia regions. The comparison is based on a review of 143 modeled scenarios synthesized in a plural cost–benefit approach which provides the distances to multiple policy goals. We confirm and substantiate the claim that transformative change is vital but also point out which directions for political transformation are to be preferred. The hopeful message is that large societal losses might still be avoided, and multiple benefits can be generated over the coming decades and centuries. Yet, policies will need to strongly steer away from scenarios based on regional competition, inequality, and economic optimism.

Keywords: transformation; plural valuation; Sustainable Development Goals; policy scenarios (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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