Negotiating pathways to achieve the Paris Agreement

Research Project, 2024 – 2027

To what extent can a deep decarbonization be achieved through different forms of societal transformation, and what does this mean for the livelihood and welfare of different societal groups? Through quantitative macroeconomic modeling in combination with participatory processes and policy analysis, we explore sustainable consumption corridors that reach climate and sustainability goals.Transformation of society is conceptualized by developing pathways for radical changes occurring in two fundamental dimensions, namely the role of labor and the material intensity of consumption. Work is central to people´s income, livelihood and sense of belonging, but is also a driving force for production and economic growth. The material intensity of contemporary patterns of consumption provides key challenges for reaching environmental targets, but also contributes in different ways to people´s standard of living and welfare. These axes define four different pathways that are analyzed from a consumption perspective.A transdisciplinary research team explores which changes along these pathways that are compatible with social sustainability and achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, and for which combinations this is less likely. The proposed project advances the understanding of sustainable futures based on the engagement of societal actors which may be useful for policy making in the short and the long term.