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2020  • 

Transforming knowledge systems for life on Earth: Visions of future systems and how to get there

Ioan Fazey, Niko Schäpke, Guido Caniglia, Anthony Hodgson, Ian Kendrick, Christopher Lyon, Glenn Page, James Patterson, Chris Riedy, Tim Strasser, Stephan Verveen, David Adams, Bruce Goldstein, Matthias Klaes, Graham Leicester, Alison Linyard, Adrienne McCurdy, Paul Ryan, Bill Sharpe, G. Silvestri, Ali Abdurrahim, David Abson, Olufemi Adetunji, Paulina Aldunce, Carlos Alvarez-Pereira, Jennifer Amparo, Helene Amundsen, Lakin Anderson, Lotta Andersson, Michael Asquith, Karoline Augenstein, Jack Barrie, David Bent, Julia Bentz, Arvid Bergsten, Carol Berzonsky, Olivia Bina, Kirsty Blackstock, Joanna Boehnert, Hilary Bradbury, Christine Brand, Jessica Böhme, Marianne Mille Bøjer, E. Carmen, Lakshmi Charli-Joseph, Sarah Choudhury, Supot Chunhachoti-ananta, Jessica Cockburn, J. Colvin, Irena Connon, Rosalind Cornforth, Robin Cox, Nicholas Cradock-Henry, Laura Cramer, Almendra Cremaschi, Halvor Dannevig, Catherine Day, Cathel de Lima Hutchison, Anke de Vrieze, Vikas Desai, Jonathan Dolley, Dominic Duckett, Rachael Durrant, Markus Egermann, Emily Elsner (Adams), Chris Fremantle, Jessica Fullwood-Thomas, Diego Galafassi, Jen Gobby, Ami Golland, Shiara González-Padrón, Irmelin Gram-Hanssen, Jakob Grandin, Sara Grenni, Jade Gunnell, Felipe Gusmao, Maike Hamann, Brian Harding, Gavin D. J. Harper, Mia Hesselgren, Dina Hestad, Cheryl Heykoop, Johan Holmén, Kirsty Holstead, Claire Hoolohan, Andra Horcea-Milcu, Lummina Horlings, Stuart Howden, Rachel Howell, Sarah Huque, Mirna Inturias Canedo, Chidinma Iro, Christopher Ives, Beatrice John, Rajiv Joshi, Sadhbh Juarez-Bourke, Dauglas Juma, Bea Karlsen, Lea Kliem, Andreas Kläy, Petra Kuenkel, Iris Kunze, David Lam, Daniel Lang, Alice Larkin, Ann Light, Christopher Luederitz, Tobias Luthe, Cathy Maguire, Ana Mahecha-Groot, Jackie Malcolm, Fiona Marshall, Yiheyis Maru, Carly McLachlan, Peter Mmbando, Subhakanta Mohapatra, Michele Moore, Angela Moriggi, Mark Morley-Fletcher, Susanne C. Moser, Konstanze Mueller, Mutizwa Mukute, Susan Mühlemeier, Lars Naess, Marta Nieto-Romero, Paula Novo, Karen L. O'Brien, D. O'Connell, Kathleen O'Donnell, P. Olsson, Kelli Pearson, Laura Pereira, Panos Petridis, Daniela Peukert, Nicky Phear, Siri Pisters, Matt Polsky, Diana Pound, Rika Preiser, Md. Sajidur Rahman, M. Reed, Philip Revell, Iokiñe Rodriguez, Briony Rogers, Jascha Rohr, Milda Rosenberg, Helen Ross, Shona Russell, Melanie Ryan, Probal Saha, Katharina Schleicher, Flurina Schneider, Morgan Scoville-Simonds, Beverley Searle, Samuel Sebhatu, Elena Sesana, Howard Silverman, Chandni Singh, Eleanor Sterling, Sarah Stewart, J. David Tàbara, Douglas Taylor, Philip Thornton, Theresa Tribaldos, Petra Tschakert, N. Uribe-Calvo, Steve Waddell, Sandra Waddock, Liza van der Merwe, Barbara van Mierlo, Patrick van Zwanenberg, Sandra Velarde, Carla Washbourne, Kerry Waylen, Annika Weiser, Ian Wight, Stephen Williams, Mel Woods, Ruth Wolstenholme, Ness Wright, Stefanie Wunder, Alastair Wyllie, Hannah Young

Formalised knowledge systems, including universities and research institutes, are important for contemporary societies. They are, however, also arguably failing humanity when their impact is measured against the level of progress being made in stimulating the societal changes needed to address challenges like climate change. In this research we used a novel futures-oriented and participatory approach that asked what future envisioned knowledge systems might need to look like and how we might get there. Findings suggest that envisioned future systems will need to be much more collaborative, open, diverse, egalitarian, and able to work with values and systemic issues. They will also need to go beyond producing knowledge about our world to generating wisdom about how to act within it. To get to envisioned systems we will need to rapidly scale methodological innovations, connect innovators, and creatively accelerate learning about working with intractable challenges. We will also need to create new funding schemes, a global knowledge commons, and challenge deeply held assumptions. To genuinely be a creative force in supporting longevity of human and non-human life on our planet, the shift in knowledge systems will probably need to be at the scale of the enlightenment and speed of the scientific and technological revolution accompanying the second World War. This will require bold and strategic action from governments, scientists, civic society and sustained transformational intent.
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Cite This Work
10.1016/j.erss.2020.101724
SDGs
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