Mark Swilling, a Professor at the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University, recently embarked on a journey that took him from Johannesburg to Zürich, Bangalore, and back. His travels were filled with conversations, experiences, and insights that highlighted the contradictions between the Global North and Global South. Swilling's journey began with a three-day strategy session of the board of the National Transmission Company of South Africa, where they debated the construction of 14,400km of powerlines and installation of 271 transformers over the next 10 years, at a cost of R440-billion.
Swilling's journey continued in Zürich, where he attended the annual International Sustainability Transitions Conference, attended by 600 scholars from around the world. The conference reflected the growing interest in sustainability transitions and the challenges that come with it. Swilling noted that there was a shift in emphasis from transition to a sustainable world to transition to a sustainable and more equitable world, with Global South scholars contributing significantly to this shift. The Centre for Sustainability Transitions, where Swilling is a Professor, has been actively involved in the conference, with a representative on the steering committee.
At the Zürich Conference, Swilling was struck by the large number of younger people doing PhDs and post-docs using the "sustainability transitions" framework to make sense of local case studies. However, he noted that most of these scholars were critical of capitalist norms and had a strong "degrowth" perspective, but lacked a systemic framework that could add up to a more transformative social movement. Swilling also presented two papers at the conference, one on the financial dynamics of post-oil transitions using Colombia as a case study, and the other on decoloniality, relationality, and sustainability.
Swilling's paper, Decoloniality, Relationality and Sustainability: Emerging metatheories for the 21st century, explored the African notion of Ukama, or relationality. The paper was well-received and generated significant interest among conference attendees. Swilling also discussed with his colleagues the possibility of proposing a special track on financing the transition at the next year's conference in Brazil. This discussion was a follow-up to the conference's lack of focus on financing transitions, with only one paper addressing the topic.
After Zürich, Swilling traveled to Bangalore, India, where he was hosted by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS). The IIHS had recently realized its 20-year dream of becoming a fully-fledged degree-granting university, with 400 staff and various master's programs, including a PhD. The institute is also building a large-scale sustainably designed university campus that aims to demonstrate alternative, more sustainable urbanism. Swilling was impressed by the institute's commitment to sustainability and its focus on practical skills, such as sustainable food preparation.
During his visit to Bangalore, Swilling delivered a lecture to a master's class on infrastructure and presented his work on South Africa's monetary architecture. He was initially hesitant to present his work to an Indian audience but found that it was well-received. Swilling noted that there is limited understanding of the financing dimension of sustainability transitions, with many people in the sustainability world relying on "green economy" thinking. However, he found that his work on redirecting financial flows away from unsustainable modes of production and consumption resonated with the Indian audience.
Swilling's journey concluded with a visit to Manipal University in Bangalore, where he was hosted by a group of transition researchers from various disciplines. He presented his work on the African Ukamian perspective on relationality and its implications for sustainability transitions. The visit provided an opportunity for Swilling to engage with a diverse group of scholars and explore new ideas and perspectives on sustainability transitions. Swilling's journey highlighted the importance of connecting academic reflections and activist interventions to address the challenges of sustainability transitions.
Key points
- Mark Swilling's journey highlights the need for a more systemic framework for understanding sustainability transitions.
- The Centre for Sustainability Transitions has been actively involved in the International Sustainability Transitions Conference.
- Swilling's work emphasizes the importance of redirecting financial flows away from unsustainable modes of production and consumption.
