About the collection:

Increasing geopolitical tensions, global conflict and climate-related emergencies are making efforts to transform our world towards a more sustainable future both increasingly urgent and more challenging. Ten years ago, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Climate Agreement were adopted as transformational aspirations of the global community. However, repeated shocks and an increasingly hostile global landscape have undermined implementation. With progress off track, there is growing demand from policymakers and advocates of systems change for knowledge and practical insights on how to accelerate and sustain transformations in diverse systems (e.g. health, education, energy, transport, food, housing, environmental commons etc.).

The acceleration of system transformations is a crucial emerging topic of research in sustainability transitions and social-ecological systems transformations. Studies of historical transformations show the gradual coevolution of institutions, policies, technologies, societies and environments over many decades. Acceleration is perceived as a phase in any transformation process when a system is rapidly shifting from one state to another as a result of both new ideas, practices, and innovations, along with phasing out existing problematic feedbacks and dynamics. Recent research on transitions underway in energy, mobility and food systems identify opportunities for deliberate acceleration, however research thus far has favoured some sectors and contexts and specific innovations (such as solar-PV, wind, electric vehicles). This is understandable as these innovations provide real-world evidence of acceleration. New research is also seeking to understand the acceleration of social-ecological innovations, including nature-based solutions, biodiversity restoration, adaptation, rights for nature, ecosystem services etc.

The comprehensive scope and universal nature of the transformations needed to achieve the SDGs generate many demands for research as there will be considerable variety in transformation pathways across different contexts. Integrating the wealth of existing knowledge and confronting remaining knowledge gaps will be crucial to accelerate progress towards the SDGs and long-term sustainability. It is also important to consider both winners and losers in accelerating transitions, how to tackle political conflict and resistance, and how to safeguard from derailing onto unsustainable pathways. Additionally, it increasingly seems that there are tensions between the speed and depth of change. In particular, the increasing geo-economic rivalry and focus on competitiveness regarding the manufacturing and sales of solar-PV, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles has accelerated low-carbon transitions (as investments increase and costs decrease), but arguably led to a narrowing down of transition pathways and considerations of sustainability and justice.

This Collection of Global Sustainability aims to bring together interdisciplinary knowledge on the acceleration of transformations and provide practical insights for actors seeking to accelerate change towards sustainable development.  We aim to move the debate beyond calls emphasising the need for acceleration or speculative frameworks about potentials of acceleration. While frameworks, of course, remain relevant, the collection also aims to address the clear need for more concrete and empirically-supported ways through which policymakers and other actors can make acceleration happen.  We welcome theoretical, conceptual, empirical and modelling contributions in areas such as:

• Different approaches, frameworks, heuristics for conceptualising the acceleration of transformations and identifying causal mechanisms
• Insights from past, present and prospective studies on the acceleration of transformations in different systems and country contexts relevant to the SDGs
• Important dynamics, drivers and barriers associated with acceleration, including tipping dynamics and feedbacks and multi-system interactions
• How to navigate tensions and trade-offs between the depth and speed of change and political resistance and societal conflicts as acceleration gets underway
• The roles and capacities of different actors in the acceleration of transitions, including policymakers, the private sector, consumers, civil society organizations etc.
• Insights on both the ‘making’ and ‘unmaking’ aspects of transformative change, including the rapid phasing out and letting go of old, undesired regimes

We invite authors from diverse geographical and country contexts to submit research papers (which can be up to 5,000 words long, not counting title, abstract, text boxes, figures, tables and references), intelligence briefings (which should not surpass the limit of 3000 words in the text, not counting title, abstract, text boxes, figures, tables and references) or review articles (which should not exceed 8000 words for the main text, and 150 references) sharing their research on the acceleration of sustainability transformations (see Instructions for authors). 

When you formally submit your paper, please do so via the journal’s ScholarOne site, and select the ‘Acceleration of Sustainability Transformations’ collection from the list of dropdown options. Please also indicate in the cover letter that your submission is in response to this Call for Papers for this collection.

Please email your expression of interest to submit a manuscript to this collection by 30 April 2025, preferably in the form of a short abstract to Dr Cameron Allen ([email protected]) or one of the co-editors.

The deadline for submission of full manuscripts to the collection is Friday 31 October 2025. We can accept early submissions at any time. 

Guest Editors: 

- Dr Cameron Allen (Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Australia), 

- Prof. Frank W. Geels (University of Manchester, UK), 

- A/Prof. Per Olsson (Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden)