Environmental Sociology in the Era of Social Innovation

Abstract

This special feature is based on the symposium “Environmental Sociology in the Era of Social Innovation : What is the Creative Solution to Environmental Problems?” held at the 66th Conference of the Japanese Association for Environmental Sociology in December 2022.

We are now entering an “era of innovation” in the endeavour to find solutions to environmental problems. This special feature explores the specific trend of “social innovation” within this era and its potential contributions. Social innovation refers to innovative approaches that focus on the transformation of social organizations or the dynamism of social capital. The paper discusses how various actors, including those not involved in the initial problem, are invited to collaborate in searching for innovative ways to solve problems. In so doing, the paper examines the resulting transformation that promotes business while searching for new problem-solving agents.

How should environmental sociology understand the situation in which these activities are forming a new frontier in solving environmental problems? This paper seeks to clarify the characteristics of the era of social innovation and provide an overview of its position within the field of environmental sociology.