Unit 2.5 Vertical Connections: How does the ubiquitous generation and propagation of novelty in the Anthropocene System affect the pursuit of sustainable development?

The previous unit reviewed the ways in which particular places are connected with one another, focusing on horizontal linkages among places at the same hierarchical level (households, firms, communities, states, regions, etc.). We argued that while horizontal connections are ubiquitous in nature-society systems, they are often incomplete, resulting in persistent heterogeneity and individuality of different places in the Anthropocene System, with profound implications for system dynamics.

In this unit, we turn to a second kind of connection: vertical linkages across hierarchical levels of the Anthropocene System. These are ubiquitous and multi-directional, encompassing phenomena such as the impact of global climate change on local well-being, the impact of local industrial emissions on global climate, and vertical connections among macro, meso, and micro levels of system activity.

We focus here, however, on one very particular group of vertical connections with enormous implications for sustainable development: connections involved in the generation and propagation of novelty in the Anthropocene System. Novelty can take biological, technological, or institutional forms. Its emergence is facilitated by the persistent heterogeneity noted above. It usually originates under very specific local or niche conditions (e.g., the legendary garages of Silicon Valley, or the Wuhan markets of COVID). But when such local or micro-level novelty is taken up at higher levels, it can spread rapidly and change the dynamics of larger systems.

What forms of novelty matter for sustainability?

Some are clearly damaging to human well-being, inequitable in their consequences, and inconsistent with the goals of sustainable development:

• The emergence of novel zoonotic diseases made increasingly likely by human actions including deforestation and overcrowded/unsanitary rearing of animals for consumption

• The invention of certain technologies, such as toxic chemicals in widely-used flame retardants and non-stick cookware

• The emergence and spread of conspiracy theories and ‘fake news’ and the related re-emergence and spread of autocratic governments

Novelty has also led to more equitably distributed benefits to society and may be consistent with sustainable development:

• The invention of high-yielding rice and wheat crops as part of the Green Revolution, increasing food production and keeping pace with rapid population growth

• The development of antiretroviral drugs capable of treating HIV

• The emergence and spread of values like intra- and inter-generational equity

Still other novel developments—biological, technological, or institutional—clearly play roles in the dynamics of the Anthropocene. Whether they support or impede sustainable development depends on context.

The pursuit of sustainability is centrally about learning how to help generate novelty at the micro-level and propagate promising results to meso- and macro-levels through the management of vertical connections.

Preparation for class

To prepare for this unit, please:

a) Read:
Geels, F. W., Kern, F., & Clark, W. C. (2023). System transitions research and sustainable development: Challenges, progress, and prospects. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(47), e2206230120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2206230120

Provides an updated account of how promoting transitions toward sustainability requires close attention to vertical connections and, particularly, the generation and propagation of innovation.

b) Read:
Schot, J., & Geels, F. W. (2008). Strategic niche management and sustainable innovation journeys: Theory, findings, research agenda, and policy. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 20(5), 537–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537320802292651

c) Read:
Anadon, L. D., Chan, G., Harley, A. G., Matus, K., Moon, S., Murthy, S. L., & Clark, W. C. (2016). Making technological innovation work for sustainable development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(35), 9682–9690. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1525004113

d) Read:
Matson, P. A., Clark, W. C., & Andersson, K. P. (2016). Pursuing Sustainability: A Guide to the Science and Practice. Princeton University Press. Read the case study, “An international success amid uncertainty: Ozone and the Montreal Protocol,” pp. 179–186.

Examines the Montreal Protocol as a case of international innovation and vertical connectivity in sustainability.

e) Review as needed:
Case studies for London and Alaska introduced earlier in the course and available in the Course Library.

Study Questions to help you get the most out of the readings

I. Bottom-up innovations:
The readings highlight the important role of bottom-up innovations in the pursuit of sustainability.

• What innovation—in technology or policy—can you imagine that would best improve the prospects for sustainable development in Fishbanks?

• How did innovations affect the development pathway of the Stratospheric Ozone case presented in the Matson et al. book?

II. For the case studies on London and Alaska:
Consider the following, focusing on clarity and context:

• Identify a source of novelty—biological, technological, or institutional—that is highly relevant to the pursuit of sustainability in your chosen teaching case. Briefly explain why you consider this source important for sustainability.

• Describe how this novelty initially emerges at the micro-level. What processes or structures allow this novelty to succeed and spread from the micro-level to the meso-level (and potentially macro-level)? (Note: In the readings, “level” and “scale” are used interchangeably.)

• Suggest a change or improvement to the processes or structures you described above that could best advance the pursuit of sustainability in your case study region. Why would your proposed modification make a difference?

III. For the sustainability challenge you selected as “your case,”
Respond to the same three prompts posed above for the London and Alaska cases.

Digging deeper (optional materials for further exploring frontiers in the pursuit of sustainability):

f) Read:
Geels, F. W. (2006). The hygienic transition from cesspools to sewer systems (1840–1930): The dynamics of regime transformation. Research Policy, 35, 1069–1082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2006.06.001

Explores the socio-technical transition from cesspool to sewer systems in the Netherlands. Complements the London case and discusses the challenge in the language of innovation and vertical connectivity.