BOOK TIP | Climate, Inequality and Innovation: The Grand Challenges for a Sustainable Future

In the anthology Handbook of Grand Challenges in Global Production and Innovation Networks, researchers shine a spotlight on the major societal challenges of our time – from climate change, deforestation and desertification to technological development and social inequality. The book looks at how global production and innovation networks are affected by these issues and how they in turn help to shape future sustainability.

The book pays particular attention to the Global South, describing how, for example, the Chinese electric car industry is showing great progress, while the textile industry in Bangladesh is still struggling with working conditions and environmental challenges. In Uganda, new initiatives have improved conditions for coffee producers, but inefficient production methods still hinder positive development. At the same time, the book shows how countries in the Global South are often the hardest hit by climate change, despite being the least contributors to the problem.

Real-life examples are interspersed with theoretical discussions on governance, supply chains and innovation. There are also critical perspectives that scrutinize established theories and show how new technologies, such as drones, can be used to study and understand sustainability issues on the ground.