The 'financial crises—poverty—sustainability nexus’

A new book co-authored by Isabell Kempf (United Nations Research Institute for Social Development – UNRISD), and Investigators of the Financial Crises and Environmental Sustainability (FCES) unit of the Sussex Sustainability Research Programme (SSRP), Dr Andreas Antoniades (University of Sussex, School of Global Studies) and Dr Alexander Antonarakis (University of Sussex, School of Global Studies) explores how poverty and environmental sustainability interact in specific social contexts and financial crises.

The volume entitled “Financial Crises, Poverty and Environmental Sustainability: Challenges in the Context of the SDGs and Covid-19 Recovery” is part of the Sustainable Development Goals Series and is a major collaboration with expert researchers across the globe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing on in-depth case studies and evidence-based research and analysis, the publication provides timely and insightful contributions to the field of sustainable development, while offering concrete policy recommendations for driving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically with regards to poverty reduction and environmental sustainability.

Dr Antoniades said: “Our analysis suggests that our ‘build-back-better’ actions are falling short of the transformation that is required to bring our planet onto a sustainable socio-environmental path. We need a fundamental rethink of the principles that underlie these strategies. We need to move away from a ‘net-zero’ rationale ... we also need to align better and where possible integrate existing global governance structures that deal on the one hand with economic crises and on the other with environmental sustainability.”

The first chapter of the book focusses on the so-called ‘Crises-Poverty-Sustainability Nexus in the Context of the Sustainable Development Goals and Covid-19’ and can be accessed for free until 20 February 2022 here. 

A recent webinar co-organised by the FCES unit of SSRP also highlighted joint-research on the nature and implications of the ‘financial crises – poverty – sustainability nexus’ which can be re-watched and accessed here.

This volume is part of a joint initiative by the SSRP of the University of Sussex, the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Action for Sustainable Development Goals (UNDP-UNEP-PEA) and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). The overall aim is to advance a new research programme and foster a better understanding of the multiple, complex and often opposing ways through which the punctuated economic slowdown of financial crises, poverty dynamics and environmental sustainability interact.

“Financial Crises, Poverty and Environmental Sustainability: Challenges in the Context of the SDGs and Covid-19 Recovery” builds on previous research undertaken by the Financial Crises and Environmental Sustainability (FCES) unit which was funded by the Sussex Sustainability Research Programme (SSRP). Further information about the project and research findings can be found on the SSRP website.