How might open knowledge help develop a sustainable open society?
@JackTownsend_
Introduction
• The Question I’d like to ask…
– How might open knowledge help develop a sustainable open society?
• “Open society” going to call one with political and economic freedoms
– (Appreciate this is “lumping” political and economic freedom together)
• Whether you think about capitalist economies; whatever you think about democracies
– There are lots of them and they’re spreading
• For such societies to go from exponential growth in resource use to something more sustainable
– Massive changes will be needed
• Can a diverse world change to become environmentally sustainable and maintain it’s openness?
– Not give up on hard won political & economic freedoms
• Sustainability problems are wicked problems
– Can only hope for clumsy solutions
• Negative side effects
• Will be good for some and bad for others
• Not wise to sacrifice too much for such imperfect solutions
• Can open knowledge help with resolving these tensions?
• This is early speculative big picture stuff!! Questions more than answers
Accountability
Institutional
Individual
Accountable institutions and individuals
• (Theoretical bases of)
– Democracy -> citizens
– capitalism _> share-holders, consumers, and governments
• Openness -> accountability by making negative actions
publically visible
– Reducing malpractice, corruption, negligence
• Sustainability
– Institiutional & individual level
• ENERGY EXAMPLES FROM EARLIER
– Public visibility may have opposite effect
• conspicuous consumption
– Privacy…
Well-informed citizens
Inform Develop trust
Well-informed citizens with well-founded trust
• Why
– ….Accountability
• governments and companies driven by public’s priorities
– key to democracy and responsible capitalism
– Will reflect environmental values (or not)
– Citizen Buy-in needed for changes
• Citizens need to trust the science and environmental policies
• Open knowledge could…
– Inform
– Grow trust
• prove trustworthiness of science or policy?
• Open up science and government to public participation?
• Wilfull misuse (Lies, damned lies & statistics)
• False impressions - Lessig
More out for
less in
Rethinking what we want out
Coordination & optimisation
More out for less in
• Major aim of Good governance
• Definition of environmental sustainability?
• Open knowledge could…
– Re-imagine what it is we want out? Vs GDP
• Valuing not just economic but social and environmental progress
• Quantification of everyday life now far beyond financial
• EXAMPLE – YOURTOPIA
• Can it provide real rigour and win trust?
– Coordination & optimisation to deliver efficiency?
• EXAMPLE – BUS MATE
• rebound effect
• Privacy
Freedom through innovation
Develop sustainable tech and strategies
Find new ways to be free
Innovation and Freedom
• Freedom perhaps most challenging area?
– Possible to maintain individual liberty yet deter negative environmental behaviours?
• A major challenge for sustainability
• So what role open knowledge?
– Well, opening up knowledge can accelerate innovation
• INTUITIVELY OBVIOUS
• Perhaps innovation can help?
– Develop new sustainable technologies and strategies
– Find new ways of living freely within environmental constraints
• World is a NON-linear system.
– Not a finite range of human experiences and actions from many of
which we are constrained by sustainability.
• Necessity can perhaps be the mother of invention
– Invention creates whole new possibilities for human experience
» ANALOGY Evolution
– Innovation often degrades the environment
• Cf Industrial revolution
• Constraints such as carbon pricing and environmental regulation are
needed to ensure the innovations that receive most effort are the sustainable
ones
Some challenges…
Can open knowledge help develop a sustainable open society?
Challenges
• Nothing is a panacea!
– “Fairy dust”
• Privacy
– Human
– Environmental Privacy
• Unintended consequences
• Not just releasing the data – it’s what you do with it
– Open knowledge into action
– Stories and images matter more than facts
– Willful misuse/false impressions
– User-focused solutions
• Digital divide
– Who is empowered?
– Western-centric value?
@JackTownsend_
How might open knowledge help develop a sustainable open society?
@JackTownsend_
Web & Sustainability
slideshare.net/JackTownsend