Research
The Faculty of Science offers a unique research program focused on 'Learning and Innovation for Resilient Systems', which involves wide and deep cross departmental collaboration, on topics such as Energy Collectives of Citizens for Renewable Energy, Institutional Change and Equitable Adaptation to Climate Change in Cities around the World. New work has just begun on the role of artificial intelligence and big data in generating new perspectives on climate change and climate change solutions.
In the Faculty of Science, the OU harbors a vibrant group of social and natural scientists collaborating on climate change issues. The OU Science group investigates global environmental modelling, energy systems, and sustainable cities. We also investigate the international politics of climate change including international climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Moreover, we explore the many policy innovations at sub-state, state and transnational levels from a polycentric governance perspective. The polycentricity of climate governance is a key topic in our international collaboration, most prominently in the European COST action ‘Innovations for Climate Governance (INOGOV)’, co-led by OU Prof. Dave Huitema funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Program (more on this under collaboration).
Team
A complex issue like climate change requires collaboration across disciplines and team work.
Those of us working on climate change are:
Prof. dr Stefan Dekker
Chair Integrated Environmental Modelling, Science
- Integrated Environmental Modelling
- Global Ecohydrology
- Food-Water-Energy Nexus
- Feedbacks and regime shifts in Environmental Sciences
Prof. dr. Huitema
Chair Environmental Policy, Science
- Science
- Environmental governance
- adaptive governance
- policy learning
- innovation
Dr Wilfried Ivens
Associate professor Environmental Science, Science
- Modeling of emission of non-CO2 greenhouse gases
- Energy Analysis
Dr. Joop de Kraker
Associate professor Environmental Sciences, Science
- Ecosystem services for climate change adaptation and mitigation
- Perspectives on climate change, adaptation and mitigation
- Change in perspectives through social learning, climate impact models as learning tools
- Learning for sustainable development and climate change in higher education
Dr.ir. Angelique Lansu
Lecturer Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Soil science
- Global sustainability science
- Technology enhanced learning,
- Land use change,
- Knowledge transfer
Dr Ansje Löhr
Assistant professor, Science
- (marine) biology, marine litter and (eco)toxicology
- integrated water management
- learning for sustainable development
Dr Angela Oels
Assistant professor Environmental Governance, Science
- Science
- artificial intelligence, big data and climate change solutions
- politics of the German energy transition
- climate change, migration and security discourses
- discursive and poststructuralist perspectives on international climate politics
Dr James Patterson
Senior researcher, Science
- Institutional innovation and change
- Cities and urban governance
- Climate change adaptation
- Sustainability transformations
PROJECTS
INNOVCITIES
This project led by Dr. James Patterson investigates 'Institutional Innovation for Adapting to Climate Change in Water Governance within Cities' (INNOVCITIES). It aims to understand how cities can become more adaptable under climate change in order to deal more effectively with uncertain and changing futures. It focuses theoretically on the novel question of how and why do institutions change, and with what effects?
The first phase of this project (2015-2017) focused on understanding institutional innovation to enhance adaptability in cities. It involved a multi-scale, mixed-methods approach comprised of a global survey of 90 cities across the globe, and comparative case studies in several countries. It was conducted under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme through a Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant (No 659065) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
The second phase of this research project (2017-2019) is now being conducted at the Netherlands Open University. It focuses on institutional innovation for enhancing equity and justice in cities under climate change. How cities address equity and justice issues under climate change is a critical issue, particularly in a rapidly urbanizing world. This project will conduct both large-n and small-n analysis, seeking understand what kinds of institutions can help to achieve more equitable and just cities.
Cooperatives for sustainable energy ( Désirée Brakenhoff, dr. Wilfried Ivens, prof. dr. Dave Huitema)
Renewable energy cooperatives (RECs) are on the rise across Europe since the 1980s. They contribute to sustainable development in various ways. National governments generally support this grassroots movement, but relatively little is known about the interrelationship between government policies and the rise and diffusion of RECs. This comparative study of the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK addresses this gap. Following a simple pattern matching approach, the study chronicles the development of both aims and means of national support policies from 1985 until 2016, and places these developments next to the patterns of emergence, diffusion and development of RECs which are visible in the three case study countries.
2010 EU Erasmus Mundus Action 2 Program within the framework of “the European and Asian Academic Networks in the Field of Environmental Science (LEANES)” development of educational material within the module ’Climate Change’: ’Global Water Systems and Adaptive Water Management‘ and a case study on the Millingerwaard. (Dr. Ansje Löhr)
SKILLS LABS 2008 – 2010 SURF-project ‘SKILLS LABS, e-practica Water Management’ in cooperation with Hogeschool Zeeland and KennisNetwerk DeltaWater. Projectleader case development. (Dr. Ansje Löhr)
