AREAS and ISSUES
Here are some of the issues at the core of What NextNew technologies
New, converging technologies at the nanoscale are bound to transform all of our societies. Precaution, risk assessment and strong civil society and social movement action is needed to avoid a rush into new environmental, health, and equity problems. Concerns around the emergence of new technologies have been at the core of the What Next work since the very beginning – much inspired and guided by the work of the ETC Group.Climate justice
Climate change is happening. While the UN negotiation processes are slow and insufficient, the main problem is no longer the recognition of climate change as a fundamental threat to all societies. Rather, the main problems will be the battles around solutions and responses to climate change. Climate change provides opportunities to demand historical responsibility and repayment of carbon debt; to seriously question root causes and tackle concentration of power, a flawed development model and global injustices. However, the responses to climate change may just as well be 'false solutions': superficial business-as-usual approaches, expansion of markets and carbon trading, further commodification of nature and risky technofix solutions. Climate justice must be at the core of the climate debate. Civil society through social movements and civil society organisations – in alliance with progressive governments – have a crucial role to play.Niclas Hällström's work at the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) is centered at the interface between climate, development and equity. A number of seminars and reports in the series 'Key Issues for Climate Change and Copenhagen 2009' have brought together many people from the What Next network – check out reports, sound recordings and powerpoint presentations at: www.naturskyddsforeningen.se/keyissues
Development
There can hardly exist a more contested and problematic concept than 'development'. Often used as if it has a universal meaning, it is the exact opposite. 'Development' is inherently normative; although often used in a 'universal' matter-of-fact manner. Yet, the word is always loaded with implicit assumptions. Using 'development' requires qualifications and clarity -- is it a mainstream notion of linear change, eternal growth, unstoppable progress, a mimicking of the Western historical trajectory and ideas of universal stages of modernisation and steps towards, finally, becoming 'developed'. Or can 'development' be seen in a different way, from a 'counterpoint' perspective which fundamentally critiques the 'mainstream' understanding and sees 'alternative development' as a path not yet walked by any society, where the dominant notion of 'development' really should be called 'over-develoment' or 'mal-development'... Or -- is the very concept of 'development' beyond rescue, and better scapped? The What Now project from 1975 cointed the concept 'Another Development'. The What Next project thirty years later started by examining the ideas of What Now (which, in conclusion, are still very relevant), and continue to engage in and stimulate debate on the very concepts of 'development' and 'another development'.
Economics
Any thinking about devleopment and What Next must critically question the current economic system at its roots. A recent survey including 29 000 people in 27 countries concludes that a whole quarter of citizens feel capitalism is fatally flawed. Majorities everywhere want stronger regulation of business. In 22 of the 27 countries majorities want governments to distribute wealth more evenly. Only 11% think the current free-market capitalism works well. Clearly, we need fundamental changes in the way economics is pursued.In a What Next in Economics seminar, organised in cooperation with alternative economist Hazel Henderson in 2004, an unusally broad gathering of individuals critical of mainstream, neo-classical economics met for five days – including feminist, institutional and ecological economists, globalization activists, economics students fighting for pluralism in economics teaching, local currency inventors, critiques of cost-benefit analysis and carbon trading etc. etc. The seminar set in motion several initiatives and formed informal networks that the What Next Initiative will use as a base for further activity in this area. Alternative economics is at the core of What Next, with an urge to look ahead for new, more equitable, sustainable, healthy ways of organising our economies and society.
Knowledge and science
The areas of knowledge systems and understanding of science are closely linked and fundamental to other key areas such as economics, new technologies and development. In order to examine our own and others' world views we need to understand how stuck are we in a particular understandings of knowledge and science. We need to understand the domination of Western science and recognise other, equally valid and important knowledge systems. Alternative development means new, fresh thinking, but also a recognition and re-examination of other ways of understanding and relating to both ecosystems and people.Is it possible for modern, highly (Western-) educated persons to deprofessionalise and decolonise themselves to understand other 'cosmovisions' and knowledge systems? What is the dominating, compartmentalised, disciplinary science doing to our ability to really 'understand' the world around us? What are sensible ways forward for a science that would be capable of moving us to both equity and sustainability?