Radical sustainability from the Global South

This entry delves into the role of innovations and technologies in the context of strong sustainability transformations, that is, a radical shift toward greater social and ecological sustainability. While diverse viewpoints exist regarding the path to achieving sustainability transformations, mainstream Western perspectives prioritise green growth and technological advancements to address decarbonisation and biodiversity preservation. Conversely, alternative perspectives on innovation and technology are gaining prominence, particularly in response to the challenge of decoupling economic growth from CO₂ emissions and resource consumption. This entry explores these alternative viewpoints, spotlighting concurrent streams of sustainable innovations stemming from post-development and post-growth movements in the Global South. These movements diverge from dominant Western sustainability models reliant on technological optimism and profit-oriented innovation. Instead, they emphasise principles of conviviality, pluriversality, and grassroots initiatives as means to foster a more inclusive and sustainable society, approaching innovations from holistic, multidimensional perspectives.