Sustainability researchers can play an important role in the energy transition. But what if their partners are not (yet) sustainable and science itself has adverse effects? This is the subject of an online talk by researcher Thomas Franssen on 16 December with a discussion afterwards. 'Clean energy in Western Europe means ecosystems elsewhere in the world are destroyed.'
What angle are you taking in the talk?
'The dominant idea both in society and among researchers is that science furthers progress. Obviously, science does contribute significantly to our well-being, but that was and is by no means always the case. From a historical perspective, for example, science has been closely linked to militarism, colonialism and capitalism, and in that sense has also contributed to the climate crisis. This perspective is nothing new by the way. Biologist Rachel Carson had already raised this problem back in the early 1960s and movements like Science for the People had emerged that voiced this kind of criticism, but this systemic criticism has faded away somewhat nowadays.'
