On our mailing list, Maurie Cohen shared the following news about the Future Earth initiative.
News about about this new Future Earth initiative was included in the September issue of the SCORAI newsletter (thanks Catie, Darcy, and Debbie!), but I wanted to distribute it through this channel for anyone who might not have taken note.
Best regards,
Maurie
Progress Toward a Future Earth Knowledge–Action Network on Systems of Sustainable Consumption and Production
The Working Group on a Future Earth Knowledge-Action Network (KAN) on Systems of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SSCP) is pleased to announce that earlier this summer our Expression of Interest (EoI) was discussed by the Future Earth Science Committee and the Future Earth Engagement Committee and endorsed by the Future Earth Global Secretariat. This initiative has been led by the coordinating group identified below and supported by a wider international network of approximately three dozen founding members.
The next step in the process of gaining formal recognition of the SSCP KAN will be to formulate a Research and Engagement Plan and in connection with that effort we will be seeking to recruit a wider cross-section of the research and policy practice communities committed to systems of sustainable consumption and production. This announcement is meant to serve as preliminary notification regarding that project and in coming weeks additional information will be disseminated with specific instructions on how to participate.
As outlined in the previously prepared EoI, this next phase of the SSCP KAN-in formation will focus on developing research and engagement plans centered on three thematic areas.
- Ecological macroeconomics and political economy of a transition to sustainable lifestyles
- Urban metabolism and sustainable provisioning systems
- Social change beyond consumerism
Organizational support for the SSCP KAN is being provided by the Future Earth Regional Centre for Asia based at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (in Kyoto, Japan).
As the SSCP grows in scale and organizational capacity, there is strong likelihood that this limited number of focal themes will expand. At the present time, the Working Group is in the process of enhancing the communications ability of the KAN-in formation which will include a new listserv, an enhanced website, and a portal for uploading/downloading documents. We expect to have more information to distribute about these resources later this month. In the interim, members of the coordinating team of the Working Group (listed below) are glad to respond to any questions. We are extremely excited about this new initiative and look forward to welcoming your interest and participation.
Magnus Bengtsson, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
Maurie Cohen, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Hein Mallee, Future Earth Regional Centre for Asia
Steven McGreevy, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature
