Sustainability Science Seminar Series: How can we drive multiple sustainability outcomes simultaneously?

The Valuing Sustainability FSP is happy to announce the next seminar in the Sustainability Science Connections seminar series. The seminar will be held online on Wednesday 14 Feb 2024, at 8.30am to 9.30am AEDT (Australian Eastern Daylight Time).

The seminar has now concluded and a recording is available.

How can we drive multiple sustainability outcomes simultaneously? Professor Andy Stirling and discussants

Required shifts to a more sustainable society mean working on many fronts at once. This can be overwhelming. There are many potential drivers of change, just as there are many forms of incumbency and inertia that need to be overcome. This complexity can lead individuals and organisations, understandably, to ‘stick to their knitting’ and focus on piecemeal contributions. In turn, a narrow focus can result in disjointed, uncoordinated and fractured activities that lead to ‘unintended’ outcomes. Potential examples are numerous: the scaling of a critical minerals industry in Australia could have diverse social, cultural and environmental consequences, depending on how it is developed and implemented; the use of the land sector to off-set other sectors creates diverse risks for farming communities and food security; the shift to an electrified urban transport system could have very differing consequences for health and equity depending on which options are prioritised, by whom.

Navigating such uncertainties can be usefully aided by linking approaches that work in different ways to steer outcomes. This is the argument of our guest speaker, Professor Andy Stirling. With his colleagues, Andy has explored how different approaches to driving sustainability can be considered together, and potentially, operate synergistically.

In this talk Andy will provide an overview of these approaches, how they can be understood and applied synergistically, and his current thinking and analysis about options for linking structural, systemic and enabling approaches in different settings. Structural approaches relate to deep changes in the ways consumption and production are governed, organised and enacted. Systemic approaches focus on interactions and interdependencies across institutions (e.g. policies), technologies, and wider social processes to steer change in complex systems. Enabling approaches focus on people, their values and goals, and collective capacities to navigate and act to create preferred futures.

Andy’s talk will be followed by an engaging, moderated discussion with leaders in CSIRO and beyond, to explore the implications and potential to link integrate these approaches in applied work. Our speaker, discussants and moderator are introduced below.

More information

Professor Andy Stirling (Guest Speaker):

Andy Stirling is Professor of Science and Technology Policy at the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex, where he co-directed the ‘STEPS Centre’ for sixteen years. Working on issues of power, uncertainty and diversity in science and technology (especially around energy and biotech), he has served on a number of UK, EU and wider governmental advisory committees including (presently) as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

Larelle MacMillan (Moderator, host):

Larelle is the Research Director of the Sustainability Program in CSIRO’s Agriculture & Food Business Unit. She is passionate about delivering impact from research in food system transitions. She has led significant projects in the areas of complex monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) and social and inter-disciplinary research, and has built diverse relationships and partnerships for research impact.

Michael Battaglia (Discussant):

Michael leads CSIRO’s Towards Net Zero Mission which looks to build capability to assist Australia’s transition to net zero with particular focus on hard to abate sectors (Steel, Agriculture and Transport), regional economies and scaling negative emission technologies. Michael has led numerous research programs and projects and governance roles across agriculture, forestry, international development, and Greenhouse Gas policy, with a strong focus on sustainability. He was a founder and a Board Director for FutureFeed, a company that is commercialising anti-methanogenic seaweed to tackle livestock emissions.

Amelia Olsen-Boyd (Discussant):

Amelia leads the Mission Strategy and Design team at CSIRO. This work identifies and develops new missions in collaboration with CSIRO researchers, with a focus on iterative design and portfolio strategy. Prior to joining CSIRO, Amelia helped establish UNSW’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation program, UNSW Founders. Amelia holds degrees in political science and economy, and film theory from the University of Sydney, and a Juris Doctor from UNSW.

Helen Percy (Discussant):

Helen is Strategy Lead at AgResearch New Zealand and has almost 30 years of experience working at the interface between science and business in New Zealand’s horticulture and agriculture sectors, with the Ministry for Primary Industries and two Crown Research Institutes. Her expertise includes developing practical approaches to monitoring and evaluation and learning; research and extension project design and implementation; writing and assessing applications for research funding, and designing and facilitating multi-party processes.

About the Series

Addressing the big sustainability challenges for Australia and the region will require research, government, industry and civil society to work together constructively to drive transitions. These must not only address climate change, but drive multiple societal outcomes simultaneously – from reversing biodiversity loss to ensuring community resilience in the face of change, equitable access to livelihoods, and resources, across current and future generations. As part of its effort to address these challenges, CSIRO is investing in foundational sustainability science through our Valuing Sustainability Future Science Platform (VS FSP).

This public seminar series, presented by CSIRO’s VS FSP and its partner research programs in Agriculture & Food and Environment Business Units, highlights various aspects of this sustainability science research agenda by showcasing the work and perspectives of leading researchers from around the world. You will hear from key thinkers, scholars, scientists and practitioners tackling the grand challenges from diverse angles. The series especially highlights research collaborations with industry, government, and civil society to advance sustainability outcomes.

The series reflects the capability being built and the science being done within the VS FSP – a 5-year CSIRO investment in the next generation of researchers to address complex sustainability challenges. Our work focusses on developing new measures that reflect societal goals and values, as well as the systems through which these can drive sustainability outcomes. Through the VS FSP, CSIRO is building from its foundations in inter- and trans-disciplinary research. Our cohort of amazing early career researchers are driving a new generation of applied research. As these researchers develop and publish their work, this seminar series will shift to showcase their findings.