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Sustainability

Our interdisciplinary research explores how pathways to sustainability, green transformations and equitable access to resources such as land, water and food can be achieved and help us meet the environmental as well as human development-related goals of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

Our work builds on a long tradition of critical social science engagement with environmental issues and resource politics in collaboration with partners globally. It explores how pathways to sustainability are shaped by political-economic and social processes, and understands how they are driven by technology, markets, states and citizens.  Our research sheds new light on how we can achieve green transformations that move us from fossil fuel to renewable energy, from throw-away to circular economies. It addresses the politics of sustainability, and understands how transformations occur at local levels as well as global, in both rural and urban settings, and be led by citizens as well as national governments. In doing so, it shines a light on how sustainable resource use, consumption and production is shaped by issues such as gender, livelihoods and politics.

People

Melissa Leach

Emeritus Fellow

Lyla Mehta

Professorial Fellow

Ian Scoones

Professorial Fellow

Amber Huff

Research Fellow

Jeremy Allouche

Professorial Fellow

Lars Otto Naess

Research Fellow

Wei Shen

Resource Politics and Environmental Change Cluster Lead and Research Fellow

Shilpi Srivastava

Resource Politics and Environmental Change Cluster Lead and Research Fellow

Programmes and centres

Recent work

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Showing 1681–1692 of 15404 results

Brief

Protests and Accountability in Nigeria’s Energy Sector (accessible version)

IDS Policy Briefing 203

Since 2016, Nigerians have experienced a stable fuel supply even if prices have continued to rise. This supply stability came to a sudden halt in January 2022, bringing back memories of long queues and harsh living conditions witnessed since 2007.

Joel Otieno & 2 others

17 August 2022

Brief

Protests and Accountability in Nigeria’s Energy Sector

IDS Policy Briefing 203

Since 2016, Nigerians have experienced a stable fuel supply even if prices have continued to rise. This supply stability came to a sudden halt in January 2022, bringing back memories of long queues and harsh living conditions witnessed since 2007.

Joel Otieno & 2 others

17 August 2022

Brief

Digital Poverty in the UK (accessible version)

IDS Policy Briefing 202

Accessible version of IDS Policy Briefing 202. As every aspect of life – from job seeking to health care – moves online, digital connectivity is a daily necessity, not a luxury. This Policy Briefing explores the extent of digital poverty in the UK.

Becky Faith
Becky Faith & 2 others

17 August 2022

Opinion

75 years of independence for India and Pakistan

75 years ago, Britain ended its 200-year rule of India and the independent nations of Pakistan and India were born. IDS researcher Lyla Mehta who was born and raised in Bombay, India, reflects on this anniversary and today’s struggle for freedom and human rights for all. This partition was...

15 August 2022

News

Afghanistan one year on – what lessons for development?

Research from IDS and its partners provides insights on the impacts of the past 12 months on the people of Afghanistan and what can be done to best support them. The Taliban took back power in Afghanistan, taking over Kabul on 15 August 2021, after US-led forces withdrew from the country. The...

15 August 2022

Impact Story

Fostering future leaders in a time of uncertainty

The impacts of Covid-19 on teaching and learning at IDS have been both challenging and radical for our postgraduate and professional learners and faculty. Making the formal decision to teach online for the 2020–21 academic year was not easy. Substantial preparation and support went into...

11 August 2022

Opinion

Electricity and eligibility: Targeting cash transfers in Sri Lanka

How can a large scale cash transfer programme be established from scratch, quickly, and during a deep economic crisis? The Government of Sri Lanka faces that challenge.  New research reveals that the problem of selecting eligible households may be much less daunting than it appears. The answer...

11 August 2022

Why learn with us.

In an extraordinary time of challenge and change, we use more than 50 years of expertise to transform development approaches that create more equitable and sustainable futures. The work you do with us will help make progressive change towards universal development; to build and connect solidarities for collective action, locally and globally. The University of Sussex has been ranked 1st in the world for Development Studies for the past five years (QS World University Rankings by Subject).

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