The Other Side of Sustainability: Contradictions and Risks in Contemporary Green Innovations

Salvatore Monaco ()
Additional contact information
Salvatore Monaco: Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: Drawing on a comparative qualitative analysis of case studies in reforestation, urban greening, and green mobility—from both the Global North and the Global South—this paper aims to identify recurring critical patterns associated with eco-blind initiatives, in order to uncover the most significant contradictions and risks underlying contemporary green innovation strategies. Eco-blindness occurs when interventions, although genuinely aimed at promoting sustainability, generate negative consequences by prioritizing environmental goals while overlooking the socio-cultural and territorial contexts within which they are embedded. Among the most significant patterns identified are the top-down imposition of sustainability frameworks, the exclusion of local actors from decision-making processes, the commodification of environmental goods, and the symbolic displacement of communities. In response to these challenges, the analysis emphasizes the transformative potential of place-based and participatory approaches, particularly when sustainability initiatives are co-designed with local communities and tailored to the specificities of territories. The paper concludes by reflecting on the potential contributions of social research in fostering more holistic, equitable, and territorially grounded models of environmental governance.

Keywords: sustainability transition; territorial transformations; eco-blindness; participatory governance; sociology; place-based approach; social justice; green infrastructure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4687/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4687/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4687-:d:1659771

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().