Publics@IIHS | Perspectives on Sustainability Transitions

This Publics@IIHS featured talks by Maarten Hajer, Director, Urban Futures Studio, Utrecht University; and Mark Swilling, Co-Director, Centre for Sustainability Transitions, Stellenbosch University, followed by a discussion moderated by Aromar Revi, Director - IIHS.
The first talk, ‘The Drama of Environmental Politics: Looking Back and Ahead’, by Maarten Hajer illustrated the current state of environmental politics from a European perspective. Maarten questioned if the current approach, which he labels as ‘ecological modernization’, will work. Echoing Donella Meadows, he emphasised the need to engage with ‘deep leverage points’ if we are serious about the sustainability transformation. He discussed six ‘dramaturgies of change’ and hinted at new storytelling that might help to get us there.
In the second talk, ‘Towards Sustainability Transitions in Africa’, Mark Swilling, drew on the Economic Report on Africa published in 2024 by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, that highlights that Africa’s development goals can only be achieved if development strategies are fully integrated into a wider understanding of sustainability transition. This has major implications for investment strategies that have traditionally been crafted by powerful players located outside Africa, and with a focus on maximum extraction of natural resources. Mark spoke about this emerging alternative using the Economic Report on Africa that he has co-authored with Desta Mebratu.