Special issue on experimentation for climate change solutions editorial: The search for climate change and sustainability solutions - The promise and the pitfalls of experimentation

Andrew Jordan,Dave Huitema,Mikael Hildén

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.09.019

Abstract

This editorial highlights the diversity in studies of experimentation that aims for solutions to climate change and wider sustainability challenges. The diversity is reflected in the theoretical underpinnings, the agency behind experiments, the niches in which experimentation occurs, in the governance of the experiments and in experiments with governance, in the way experiments contribute to learning and sharing of knowledge across levels and scales. This implies that experimentation and experiments can contribute to transitions in very different ways and that experimentation also runs the risks of merely becoming a distraction that maintains status quo instead of contributing to transformative change. In moving forward research should explore the diversity even more, and critically evaluate and discuss the possible contributions to policy and polycentric governance.

Highlights

There is something inherently appealing about experiments
The goals and objectives lead to the question of how experimentation is used and what role experiments do play in innovative climate change policy development and governance, and more widely, sustainable development
This broad question guides this special issue that reports on work undertaken in COST Action IS1309 “Innovations in Climate Governance” (INOGOV) and in particular papers delivered at a workshop on Experiments for Climate Governance and their Evaluation

Summary

Accepted Manuscript

Special Issue on Experimentation for Climate Change Solutions Editorial: The search for climate change and sustainability solutions: the promise and the pitfalls of experimentation. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Introduction

The role of agency in experimentation

Experiments in niches

The Governance of experiments and experiments with governance

Learning from experiments

Sharing knowledge across levels and scales

Experimentation and transitions