Territorial governance for the socio-ecological transition (Blanca Miedes Ugarte)

Dr. Blanca Miedes UgarteAssociated Professor of Applied Economy

Observatorio Local de Empleowww.ole.uhu.es

Universidad de Huelva (Spain)[email protected]

Research-Action Line “Governance” European Network of Territorial Intelligence

www.territorial-intelligence.eu

Territorial governance for the socio-ecological transition

Time to review

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“Quand les contextes d’action s’étendent dans l’espace au point d’affecter des hommes à l’autre bout du monde, et dans le temps au point de conditionner le futur d’hommes proches et lointains, il est clair alors que la plupart de nos concepts et

de nos pratiques doivent être profondément révisés.”

Daniel Innerarity, 2008European Comission , 2009

Introduction• Current societies face major economic and social

tensions that are demanding a socio-ecological transition at global level.

• It is important to take into account the territorial dimension of the causes and effects of these tensions.

• It is needed to strengthen mechanisms and instruments of territorial governance to enable a more adapted transition to population needs in each territory. TI methods and tools can be very useful.

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Contents

• Socio-ecological transitions.• Major future trends and tensions which will

shape the international environment.• The importance of territorial dimension.• Towards good territorial governance.

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Socio-ecological transitions• In the model of Socio-

ecological systems culture and nature interfere in society's biophysical structure.

• This structure has an exchange with nature (the material world) through metabolism and with culture (the human society) through live communications.

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MetabolismMetabolism

Live communicationsLive communications

ColonizationExplotation

Socioecological regimes are dynamic equilibria of socio-ecological systems

Socio-ecological transitionsAttributes of socioecological regimes are:• The metabolic profile (energy use, material use), • The infrastructure, • The range of technologies, • The economic and governance structures, • The demographic reproduction, • The environmental impact and regulatory positive and negative feedbacks

between the socio-economic system and the natural environment.

Changes within a socioecological regime normally happen gradually, steadily and a certain path dependency prevails until for example:

– the path is interrupted from outside– the system collapses and possibly falls into an earlier stage of social development.

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• Transitions between socioecological regimes mark as well a change of the social development of the society.

Examples:• Hunters society to the agricultural society • Agricultural society to industrial society• Industrial society to…?

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Socio-ecological transitions

Trends: Population

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2025: 1.5 billion in slums

Trends: Population

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Trends: Economic Development

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In 2025 world production will almost have doubled

(in relation to 2005).

Asia: more than 30 % of the world GDP EU: slightly more than 20 %.

growth of intangible assets (human capital or use of ICT) ?share of these investments among the EU, US and Asia?

Trends: Life conditions

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Trends: Energy

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In 2025 the world energy demand will have increased by 50 % in relation to 2005.

Fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) account for 80 % of the world’s primary energy mix while nuclear (fission) and renewable (hydro, wind, solar, etc.) account for 10 % each.

In 2030, the Union will import almost 70 % of

its energy needs (if policy does not change)

Trends: Climate Change

• EU proposes 50 % reduction of emissions by 2050 and reductions between 60 and 80 % for the most developed countries.

• In 2025, if Europe is not followed by the other continental powers the impact of its efforts to slow down climate change will remain marginal on the world CO2 emissions.

• In any case, adaptation strategies are no options; they are necessary.

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Current Tensions

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food consumption, access to water, raw materials and energy

Current Tensions

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Current Tensions

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Current Tensions

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Socio-ecological transitions

We need to promote a new socio-ecological transition in order to change

• The metabolic profile (energy use, material use), • The infrastructure, • The range of technologies, • The economic and governance structures, • The demographic reproduction, • The environmental impact and regulatory positive and

negative feedbacks between the socio-economic system and the natural environment.

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Socio-ecological transitions

• From social activism, and more recently from academia, voices are rising which are claiming “economic de-growth” as a plausible solution.

• De-growth means a Copernican revolution on the approach of development: growth must not remain the most significant indicator of development any more ; we need to find objectives which are based on (not only quantitative) indicators which are more directly linked to the quality of life and equity in the long term.

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How to articulate the shift towards a more inclusive model of sustainable development?

How to articulate the shift towards a more inclusive model of sustainable development?

Territorial dimension

• The point is that social and environmental cost are those that more directly affect people quality of life and they always occur at an specific localization.

• Hence, concerning life quality and taking into account the trend towards progressive urbanization, territories are a crucial arena in which main actions towards a socio-ecological transition should be proposed and discussed.– the necessary strategy of adaptation to climate change must be local, – and it should be the strategy of dematerialization according to local

needs of social cohesion.

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Territorial dimension

• This territorial dimension of sustainable development brings into focus the problem of territorial governance.

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Good territorial governance

Good territorial governance would involve • the objectives finally set by cooperation mechanisms

to be appropriate regarding the population’s priority needs,

• the network of actions of the various actors to be coherent and well adapted to achieve the objectives,

• and all this to be translated into an optimization of the resources available in the territory.

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Territorial governance

• This would necessarily imply an effective participation of all the actors involved, including those which best and most directly represent the conceptions and interests of the population, in the construction of a common language and of a common approach of the diagnosis and the possible solutions leading to socio-ecological transition.

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Territorial governance

• It is obvious that in order to get good governance deep institutional reforms are needed to allow these cooperative frameworks to be developed in the long term.

• However, the inertia of political-administrative systems, the necessary specialization of intervention fields for the sake of their greater efficacy and efficiency, and the complexity of the bureaucratic network, will necessarily impose limits to the adjustment and distribution of power.

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Territorial Intelligence

• During the meanwhile the only alternative in order to advance is to improve partnership action, taking into account all its difficulties and obstacles.

• it is a question of tackling the root of the heart of the matter, of encouraging cooperation culture, not only on the basis of persuasion,

• but through the development of work methods by which the participants can perceive immediately the results of participation and, therefore, strengthen it.

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Territorial Intelligence

• ENTI actors and researchers work on participatory work methods and tools for defining and gathering more complex multidimensional territorial indicators systems

that allow• to build together a comprehensive knowledge of the

territory, to diagnose better the needs of the population and to evaluate better the impacts of their actions.

• Improving territorial governance.Salerno 2009 26

Conclusion

Facing the socio-ecological transition

TI provides good knowledge for good local reflexion and action

for good global reflexion and action.

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Main references• CAENTI (Coordination action of the European Network of Territorial Intelligence) (2009):

“Final scientific Report March 2006, 1st - February 2009, 28th Deliverable 08”, February 2009, p. 272. http://www.territorial-intelligence.eu/index.php/caenti/deliverable08

• EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2009): The World in 2025. Rising Asia and Socio-Ecological Transition. Directorate-General for Research, Research*eu http://ec.europa.eu/research/research-eu.

• FISCHER-KOWALSKI M. and HABERL, H. (eds) (2007): Socioecological transitions and global change. Trajectories of social metabolism and land use. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.

• OECD (2006): Successful partnerships a guide, LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance, Paris. www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/forum/partnerships

• OECD (2008): OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030, Paris.• SEVERAL AUTHORS (2008): “Final declaration of the Economic De-Growth For Ecological

Sustainability and Social Equity Conference”, Paris on April 18-19, 2008. http://events.it-sudparis.eu/degrowthconference/en/

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Dr. Blanca Miedes UgarteAssociated Professor of Applied Economy

Observatorio Local de Empleowww.ole.uhu.es

Universidad de Huelva (Spain)[email protected]

WP leader “Governance” European Network of Territorial Intelligence

www.territorial-intelligence.eu

Territorial governance for the socio-ecological transition

Gracias