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- Reframing adaptation to climate change in Portugal: the case of ClimAdaPT.LocalPublication . Mourato, João; Schmidt, Luísa; Ferrão, João; Bussler, AlexandraAs the 21st century settles in, an array of tightly intertwined migratory, social, economic, financial, political, and ecological unrest has brought to the fore the restrictive adaptability of contemporary political arenas, institutions, development models, and policy instruments, inviting us to interpret and to address the causes underlying these upheavals (Ferrão 2016; Kolb 2010; Castles 2004; Smith and Wiest 2012) and attempt to mitigate their negative impacts (Akyüz 2014). Beyond that looms an unpredictable regime of climate change that may permanently undermine the Planet’s habitability (O’Brien 2014). We appear to have reached what is today conceptually identified as the Anthropocene (Crutzen 2002; Barry and Maslin 2016; Steffen et al. 2011), interpreted as Earth’s newest epoch in which humankind has turned into a collective geochemical force profoundly altering the planet’s natural cycles (Biermann et al. 2015). Rickards (2015) and Ferrão (2017) argue that the Anthropocene provides an opportunity, however, not only to produce new thinking, but also to bring about new actions in the field of sustainability. In line with the latter, a rising call for structural change that catalyzes societal transformations toward sustainability has appeared concurrently with – or seemingly as a result of – the predominant neo-liberal capitalist, productivityand growth-led hegemonic worldview (McMichael 2010). Among the reasons underlying this call are that continued and distributed economic growth can no longer be taken for granted (Krugman 2014), that growth endangers socio-ecological sustainability, and that there exists increasing awareness and wariness of its limits (Rydin 2013; Eastin et al. 2011). Alarmingly, the mainstream understanding of sustainability underpinning contemporary development politics and policies is still to openly embrace and exploit the discussion and experimentation of non-growth-dependent development solutions (Bina 2013; Martinez Alier 2009).
- Ação climática com orçamentos reduzidos - Um manual para o governo localPublication . Mourato, João; Bussler, Alexandra; Legelli, Julia
- Community-based initiatives and the politicization gap in socio-ecological transitions: Lessons from PortugalPublication . Mourato, João; Bussler, AlexandraCommunity-based initiatives (CBIs) are an embodiment and potential catalyst of societal change towards sustainability. In Portugal, they remain a largely untapped resource. This paper examines different nuances of CBIs’ societal change agency by proposing an innovative inquiry framework focused on substance, processes and outcomes via an actor, politics and governance-centered approach. Through an inward- versus outward-looking dialectical reflection on CBIs’ politicization dynamics, we analyze Portugal’s CBI landscape drawing upon previous research, databases and semi-structured interviews. We conclude that a politicization gap and the absence of both socio-political visibility and of favorable institutional and policy frameworks are crucial contextual premises hindering CBIs’ change agency. Notwithstanding, CBI’s transformative potential is undeniable. We find them perfectly positioned to mediate co-shaping processes between social innovators and incumbent institutions, contesting the latter’s unsustainable development logic. If CBIs and governments acknowledge the complementarity of their scope of societal change agency, CBIs’ transformational time may have arrived.
- The Politicisation gap in socio-ecological transitions: lessons from PortugalPublication . Mourato, João; Bussler, AlexandraThe multiple challenges of the Anthropocene set a new context for transformative social innovation towards a form of living and working based on the principles of sustainability. Community-based initiatives (CBIs), the most visible representatives of the latter, have started to appear worldwide and are increasingly perceived as a crucial actor in the socio-ecological transition towards sustainability. CBIs are receiving a growing attention from transdisciplinary academia. Yet, there remains a research blind spot on the transformative social innovation dynamics in Portugal. This paper addresses this gap by inquiring into Portugal’s CBI dynamics, appearance, buildup, reach and future transitional pathways. Having traversed a rapid and significant growth over the last decade, CBIs, their practices and discourses are still marginalised in Portugal’s public arenas. Therefore, this paper argues, Portuguese CBIs remain an untapped resource for socio-ecological transitions and institutional innovation in Portugal. We scrutinize why the latter falter to engage head-on with the public and political spheres and identify key contextual changes and premises that determine CBIs social innovation potential in Portugal: a) CBIs need to engage the existent institutional landscape and become politicized change actors in order to sit at key decisionmaking processes, and b) CBIs’ full potential is unlikely to bloom without favourable institutional frameworks and policy environments. This paper applies a value-based lens onto social transformation frameworks and engages in a wider theoretical debate on the role of niche actors, thereby adding to the existing literature on socio-ecological transitions. Based on an actor-, politics- and governance-centered approach, we ultimately inquire into Portugal’s CBI’s agency and how it can bring about wider structural change in a socio-ecological transitions.
- Fruta Feia cooperative: Examining the influence of income on sustainability value and agency among alternative food network consumersPublication . Bussler, Alexandra; Vittori, Francesco; Mourato, JoãoAlternative Food Networks gain increasing importance in sustainability transitions of food production, retail,and consumption. This paper explores the role of AFN consumers as critical food sustainability change agents, with a special focus on low-income consumers. It challenges preconceived notions that associate sustainable living exclusively with affluent communities, highlighting the substantial influence of economically disadvantaged individuals in shaping sustainable food consumption patterns. Based on a survey of the Portuguese Fruta Feia cooperative, the paper examines how perceived income affects sustainable food values, decisions, and practices. Results highlight low-income consumers’ significant, yet often overlooked, role in driving changes towards environmentally responsible food systems and practices. This research shifts the focus of sustainability change agency, underscoring the critical role of diverse, particularly financially disadvantaged, consumer groups in championing sustainability in the food sector. It also confirms the importance of AFNs and their members as critical transition stakeholders.
- Towards a public policy of cities and human settlements in the 21st centuryPublication . Creutzig, Felix; Becker, Sophia; Berrill, Peter; Bongs, Constanze; Bussler, Alexandra; Cave, Ben; M. Constantino, Sara; Grant, Marcus; Heeren, Niko; Heinen, Eva; Hintz, Marie Josefine; Ingen-Housz, Timothee; Johnson, Eric; Kolleck, Nina; Liotta, Charlotte; Lorek, Sylvia; Mattioli, Giulio; Niamir, Leila; McPhearson, Timon; Milojevic-Dupont, Nikola; Nachtigall, Florian; Nagel, Kai; Närger, Henriette; Pathak, Minal; Perrin de Brichambaut, Paola; Reckien, Diana; Reisch, Lucia A.; Revi, Aromar; Schuppert, Fabian; Sudmant, Andrew; Wagner, Felix; Walkenhorst, Janina; Weber, Elke; Wilmes, Michael; Wilson, Charlie; Zekar, Aicha
- Interweaving Knowledge Systems Through Sustainability GovernancePublication . Mourato, João; Bussler, Alexandra; Wit, Fronika
- Framing the alternative: socio-political Dynamics toward sustainabilityPublication . Mourato, João; Bussler, Alexandra; Krauz, Adrien; Truninger, MónicaWith the arrival of the xxi century the relationship between humans and nature is reaching a critical stage. At stake are the planetary liveability patterns of both human and most non-human life forms. Despite the sometimes conflicting data on the urgency of the need to rethink this relationship, there is a growing consensus that we face an unsustainable status quo (Capra 2004; Ehrlich and Ehrlich 2013). As a result of this socio-ecological crisis and overall public inability to address it glocally, there has been a substantial increase, over the past decades, in the number and variety of social movements favouring sustainability, commonly self-referred to as alternatives (Barry and Quilley 2009; Alexander and Rutherford 2014). In this chapter we propose a framework of inquiry into these emergent alternatives.