From north to south — The reflections of an enraged incrementalist

Mark Swilling, a Professor at the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University, has been traversing the Global North and Global South to connect academic reflections and activist interventions. His journey began at the International Sustainability Transitions (ISTRN) Conference in Zürich, where he delivered a keynote address titled "Reflections of an Enraged Incrementalist."

At the conference, Swilling noted a shift in focus from transitioning to a sustainable world to a sustainable and more equitable world, with a growing emphasis on the perspectives of scholars from the Global South. He found that many young PhD and post-doctoral researchers were critical of capitalist norms, often advocating for a degrowth perspective.

Among the numerous papers presented, only one addressed financing transitions, which highlighted the dominance of BlackRock in the US food system. Swilling's own research presentations covered topics such as the financial dynamics of post-oil transitions using Colombia as a case study, and the re-imagination of African cities through the lens of African science fiction.

Swilling also visited the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) in Bangalore, India, where he delivered a lecture on infrastructure and explored sustainability within a sustainable context. The IIHS, which recently became a degree-granting university, focuses on sustainable urbanism and hands-on learning experiences for students.