GreeTS:
Green Transformation in the Global South

The GreeTS project was funded by the Volkswagen Foundation from 2015-2019. In the following you find a summary of our research and the important publications!

Research

The project “Green Transformations in the Global South (GreeTS): opening the blackbox of a pro-active state and the management of sustainability trade-offs in Costa Rica and Vietnam” analyzes the causes, consequences and different practices and types of farreaching sustainability changes as they evolve from the energy and land use sectors.

Thereby GreeTS approached the puzzle that two countries from the Global South with different political systems in terms of their state-society relations and historical records of national green politics are – at first sight – acting alike in this regard and investigated the implications of the two countries’ strong rhetorical claims concerning the determinants for corresponding follow-up. Hence, GreeTS had the major aim to understand the forces behind this seemingly green agenda and the scope conditions of its realization.

Therefore, the research group opened up the black box of “the state” in both countries, specify concepts like state-society relations, political autonomy and transformations, and provided insights from substantial cross-sectoral empirical research in the two countries.

Work Packages

Work Package 1: Theories, concepts, methods

Work Package 2: Land use

Work Package 3: Energy

Work Package 4: Multilevel interactions

[January 2018] GreeTS and the Schader Stiftung hosted an international conference to disseminate research findings and discuss opportunities and challenges of green transformations with academic colleagues and practitioners from January 17-18, 2019 in Darmstadt, Germany.

The conference program started with a welcome address by Alexander Gemeinhardt (Schader Stiftung) and Prof. Markus Lederer (Technische Universität Darmstadt), and was followed by a keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Miranda Schreurs (Technische Universität München). The conference continued by the presentation of the research project design by Prof. Dr. Markus Lederer and Dr. Frauke Urban (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm), and of research findings in the energy and agricultural sectors in Vietnam

and Costa Rica by Prof. Dang Nguyen Anh (Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Hanoi), Dr. Frauke Urban, Dr. Giuseppina Siciliano (University of London), Dr. Alonso Villalobos (Universidad de Costa Rica, San José), and Victor Milla (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, Cartago). The research project design and findings were commented by Prof. Harald Fuhr (Universität Potsdam), and Dr. Jochen Meyer-Lohmann

(Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, Frankfurt am Main), respectively.

The program, furthermore, included one public panel on „Green Transformations in the Global South“ with Dr. Steffen Bauer (Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik in Bonn), Dr. Frauke Urban, and Prof. Harald Fuhr, moderated by Prof. Dr. Markus Lederer. The conference concluded with a panel on "Green Transformations inter-

regional: the European Union and the Global South" with Prof. Michèle Knodt (Technische Universität Darmstadt), Prof. Dang Nguyen Anh, and Prof. Guillermo Navarro (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Panama City), moderated by Prof. Dr. Markus Lederer, and commented by Sebastian Meurer (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, Eschborn).

GreeTS thanks all conference participants for their valuable comments and discussions. Special thanks goes to the Schader Stiftung for co-organizing the conference and to the Volkswagen Stiftung for providing funding.

[August 2018] GreeTS has published a new article on green transformations in the energy sector of Vietnam. In their contribution to the journal Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies Frauke Urban et al. analyze the opportunities, barriers and trade-offs related to green growth, sustainable development and climate change as they evolve from an energy justice perspective.

[June 2018] Villalobos, A./ Navarro Monge, G. (eds) (2018) Avances hacia una política y economía sostenible en el contexto del cambio climático en Costa Rica. Serie Técnica Informe Técnico no. 412 Economía, Política y Gobernanza del Ordenamiento de Recursos Naturales Publicación no. 17. CATIE, Turrialba.

[May 2018] New Working Paper by Frauke Urban and Dang Nguyen Anh on „Green transformations in Vietnam's energy sector“.

[April 12-14, 2018] Linda Wallbott (as part of the organisation team) and Markus Lederer (as mentor) participated in the young researchers conference „Polycentric Climate Governance after Paris“ that was facilitated by the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies.

[February 9, 2018] Special Issue

Lederer, M./ Wallbott, L./ Bauer, S. (2018) Tracing sustainability transformations – drivers of Green Economy approaches in the Global South, in: Journal of Environment and Development 27(1): 3-25. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1070496517747661

Urban, F./ Wang, Y./ Geall, S. (2018) The prospects, politics and practices of solar energy in China. Journal of Environment and Development 27(1), 74-98. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1070496517749877

Wallbott, L./ Rosendal, G.K. (2018) Safeguards, standards and the science-policy interfaces of REDD+: Greening land use through forest-based mitigation in Costa Rica?, in: Journal of Environment and Development 27(1): 99-125. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1070496517751716

[October 27, 2017] New blog post: „Energy Transitions Revisited: The Material and Socio-Political Dimensions of Renewable Energy Technologies“ read more

[September, 2017] Linda Wallbott participated in the 11th Pan-European Conference on International Relations (EISA) on „The Politics of International Studies in an Age of Crises“ in Barcelona. She presented two papers on „Disaster preparedness in the Anthropocene“ (with Christine Prokopf, University of Münster) and on „Land use and peacebuilding“ (with Markus Lederer).

[September, 2017] From 12th – 14th september, Victor Milla attended the Seminar „The state-of-the-art of forest management models, methods and decision support systems – the SuFoRun experience” in Solsona, (Spain), where he presented his ongoing PhD research and the GreeTS project to an audience from nine countries that share complementary interests in key scientific disciplines for the development of the forest sector. more information

[August, 2017] In the current issue of International Journal of Water Resources Development Frauke Urban, Giuseppina Siciliano & Johan Nordensvard investigate the role of China’s dam-builders in transboundary river management in South-East Asia.

[August, 2017] Guillermo Navarro and Alonso Villalobos deal with Patterns of Development, Forestry Sector and Green Growth Minimalism in Costa Rica out of a historical perspective (Revista Forestal Mesoamericana Kurú, 14/ 35 (2017)).

[July, 2017] Guillermo Navarro and Victor Milla contribute a policy brief to the Working Paper Series of GreeTS tackeling land use and agricultural politics in Costa Rica.

[July 21, 2017] On July 13-14 GreeTS hosted, in collaboration with the Research Group “International Relations„, a young researchers workshop on the topic “Energy Transitions Revisited: the material and socio-political dimensions of renewable energy technologies„. The interdisciplinary event is associated with the Working Group “Nature, Resources and Conflicts„ of the German Association for Peace and Conflict Studies (AFK). An introductory special session of the Working Group “Energie – Klima – Umwelt„ of the Institute of Political Science on July 12 kicked off the the workshop, when Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt (TU Darmstadt), Dr. Mario Neukirch (University of Stuttgart), Dr. Monika Meyer and municipal councillor Iris Behr (both Institute for Housing and Environment) discussed different aspects of research and political practice concerning the energy transition in Darmstadt, Germany and Europe. For further information please klick here.

[July 10, 2017] Victor Milla presented in interim report of his PhD research with the title “Green transformations and its pathways to sustainability: a framework for measuring the land use sector of Costa Rica„ at the Research Project Seminar at the CATIE Graduate School.

[February, 2017] In the current issue of “Ökologisches Wirtschaften„ (02/2017) Linda Wallbott and Markus Lederer deal with the question, what “green transformation„ is about and whether Costa Rica is performing consequently in line with its “green„ image.

[May, 2016] GreeTS was present at the “Berlin Conference on Global Environmental Change„ that took place on May 23 – 24, 2016. For further information and the conference program click here.

[February, 2016] The research project on Green Transformation in Costa Rica and Vietnam (GreeTS) started in February 2016 with the financial support of the “Europe and Global Challenges„ initiative by the VolkswagenFoundation, Welcome Trust, and RiksbankensJubileumsfond.

We are glad to announce that GreeTS will start in early 2016 with the financial support of the initiative “Europe and Global Challenges" by the Volkswagen Foundation, Welcome Trust, and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.

Journal Articles

Wallbott, L., G. Siciliano and M. Lederer. 2019. Beyond PES and REDD+: Costa Rica on the way to climate-smart landscape management?. Ecology and Society 24 (1):24. [online]

Wallbott, L./ Florian-Rivero, E.M. (2018) Forests, rights and development in Costa Rica: a Political Ecology perspective on indigenous peoples’ engagement in REDD+, in: Conflict, Security & Development 18(6): 493-520.

Urban, F./ Siciliano, G./ Wallbott, L./ Lederer, M./ Dang N.A. (2018) Green transformations in Vietnam's energy sector, in: Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies 5(3): 558-582.

Villalobos, A./ Navarro Monge, G. (eds) (2018) Avances hacia una política y economía sostenible en el contexto del cambio climático en Costa Rica. Serie Técnica Informe Técnico no. 412 Economía, Política y Gobernanza del Ordenamiento de Recursos Naturales Publicación no. 17. CATIE, Turrialba.

Wallbott, L. (2017) Zwischen Anspruch und Wirklichkeit. Vietnams steiniger Weg zu einer grünen Transformation, in: Südostasien 4/2017: 14-15.

Urban, F./ Wang, Y./ Geall, S. (2018) The prospects, politics and practices of solar energy in China. Journal of Environment and Development 27:1, 74-98.

Lederer, M./ Wallbott, L./ Bauer, S. (2018) Tracing Sustainability Transformations and Drivers of Green Economy Approaches in the Global South, in: Journal of Environment and Development 27(1): 3-25.

Wallbott, L./ Rosendal, G.K. (2018) Safeguards, standards and the science-policy interfaces of REDD+: Greening land use through forest-based mitigation in Costa Rica?, in: Journal of Environment and Development 27(1): 99-125. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1070496517751716

Urban, F./ Siciliano, G./ Nordensvard, J. (2017) China’s Dam Builders: their role in transboundary river management, in: Southeast Asia, International Journal of Water Resources Development. DOI: 10.1080/07900627.2017.1329138 Open Access download: here.

Navarro, G./ Villalobos, A. (2017) Patterns of Development, Forestry Sector and Green Growth Minimalism, in: Costa Rica – an historical perspective, Revista Forestal Mesoamericana Kurú, Vol.14/ 35 (2017), 02-11. ISSN: 2215-2504 | DOI: 10.18845/rfmk.v01435.3148

Wallbott, L./ Lederer, M. (2017) Von Konzepten zu empirischen Beobachtungen: Staat, Gesellschaft und grüne Transformationen im globalen Süden, in: Ökologisches Wirtschaften, 02/32, 34-39. Open Access download: here. (wird in neuem Tab geöffnet)

Working Paper Series

Working Paper 1/2018 [Policy Brief]: Urban, F./ Dang, N.A. (2018) Green transformations in Vietnam's energy sector. Open Access download: here (wird in neuem Tab geöffnet) .

Working Paper 1/2017 [Policy Brief]: Navarro, G. A./ Milla, V. (2017) Costa Rica y su marco actual de políticas agroambientales Hacia un modelo exitoso de restauración en paisajes rurales. Open Access download: here (wird in neuem Tab geöffnet) .

Online Publications

Wallbott, L./ Kreuter, J. (2017) Energy Transitions Revisited: The Material and Socio-Political Dimensions of Renewable Energy Technologies, Resources and Conflict Blog, German Association for Peace and Conflict Studies. Open Acces download: here.

Funding institution: Volkswagen Stiftung

Funding period: 01.01.2016– 31.06.2019

Funding budget: 790.900,00 EUR