Social science may open new pathways to solving environmental challenges
Greenhouse gases have caused rising sea levels that flood coastal cities. Air pollution has intensified health problems, particularly among economically disadvantaged populations. Competition for natural resources has created political instability and war. All of these issues stem from a common source.
Sustainability problems are as complex as the people and social structures that create them. From consumer behavior to increasing inequity to political gridlock and red tape, humans are proving to be their own worst enemy, raising many of the barriers that prevent the adoption of readily available solutions to the growing environmental crisis.
To help unwind this Gordian knot, the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, headquartered at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, will become the nexus for a far-reaching sustainability initiative at USC Dornsife that asks scholars from the natural and social sciences to develop and implement creative approaches to overcoming these self-imposed obstacles.
“Building this big new initiative in the social sciences is about understanding how to use the knowledge we have about human motivation, the functioning of society and economic and political structures in ways that accelerate the adoption of solutions,” said Amber D. Miller, dean of USC Dornsife.
An ecosystem of ideas
The USC Wrigley Institute will lead a comprehensive approach that prioritizes both scientific innovation and the production of tools and knowledge to spur more meaningful action. It also aims to attract engagement from the public and private sector leaders, who can partner with USC Dornsife experts in achieving common goals.
“Our work on sustainability will have the most impact if we reach outside of the academy,” says Divisional Dean for the Social Sciences Andrew Lakoff. “We plan to collaborate with government agencies, advocacy organizations and businesses.”
Miller emphasizes the range of social sciences scholarship at USC Dornsife that already addresses sustainability and the benefits of amplifying the collective power of this work. The USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, for example, brings together political actors from both sides of the aisle for fact-based discussions on issues such as climate change, while experts in the USC Dornsife Program for Environmental and Regional Equity work to advance environmental justice, making sure that underserved communities are provided equitable resources to live in a healthy and sustainable way.
Kate Weber, executive director of The Academy in the Public Square initiative at USC Dornsife, is helping leaders in our communities connect with scholars to work on complex problems that could be solved with academic expertise. “If you look at the sustainability plans of the city and county of Los Angeles, we can map so much of our academic expertise to the ambitious goals identified by policymakers,” says Weber. “The USC Wrigley Institute can be the place where the policy community goes to for expertise that helps them meet these goals.”
Chew on something new
For more than five decades, the USC Wrigley Institute has been a regional leader in sustainability research, particularly in areas not widely addressed at universities, such as the effects of coastal megacities on ocean ecosystems and sustainable aquaculture. It also sponsors the Wrigley Sustainability Prize, an annual entrepreneurial competition supporting environmental ideas with market potential from within the USC community.
“The vital work of Wrigley’s natural scientists continues to build out the objective knowledge base we need to understand the limits, adaptive capacity, and complex dynamics of environmental systems under the stress of human consumption,” said Miller. “The more stones we turn, the more options we find for developing the most viable solutions to our sustainability challenges.”
The USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Santa Catalina Island provides a test bed for sustainable solutions, where scholars and students are working on early-stage innovations that could be implemented in communities. But many of these innovations require ideas from social scientists to take the next leap forward.
“The Wrigley Institute does a lot of community outreach, and the scholars are passionate about helping people understand the urgency of our environmental issues,” said Divisional Dean for the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Stephen Bradforth. “Infusing their work with the entire spectrum of intellectual firepower at USC Dornsife can expedite the process of bringing tangible solutions to the table that everyone can act on.”
Leading together
A global search is underway for two new directors to guide the USC Wrigley Institute — one from the social sciences and one from the natural sciences. Each will bring outstanding academic credentials along with demonstrated leadership of institutions and sustainability initiatives.
“There is a lot of competition for leadership on sustainability at our research universities,” Miller said. “Recruiting two directors who see the unique advantage of working together on an ambitious initiative that combines natural science, social science and a direct line to political, civic and business leaders is how USC Dornsife plans to compete for the best faculty in the world.”
In addition to overseeing the USC Wrigley Institute’s research enterprise, the new directors will expand its educational programming, work with foundations and the public to enhance environmental awareness, and steer fundraising efforts.