In international policies on global environmental change and on climate change a 'climate paradox' has emerged. While most countries at the climate change negotiations have adopted the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2°C by 2100 and the G8 declared their goal to reduce their GHG emissions by 80% by 2050, many states have failed to implement their commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. GHG emissions have been rising and new legally binding obligations have been postponed. A continuation of this trend may lead during the 21st century to major humanitarian crises and possibly to security consequences and conflicts. This seminar will take stock in the aftermath of the Rio+20 conference assessing its results and review the theoretical and strategic debate on sustainability transition in the social sciences that are emerging in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, in North America and in Asia and that are reflected in several roadmaps of the European Commission with a timeframe up to 2050 for the energy, transportation, production and consumption sectors. Planned Sessions (32 SWS) 1. Competing paradigms and strategies: business-as usual vs. sustainability transition (4 hours): conceptual introduction, organization of the seminar and brainstorming discussion with students 2. Emergence of the environment and global environmental change as policy issues (Stockholm, 1972; Rio, 1992; Johannesburg, 2002; and Rio+20, 2012) 3. Assessments of the outcomes of the negotiations on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP15-COP18, 2009-2012) and of the Kyoto Protocol 4. Climate leader: EU climate policies and selected national implementations 5. Climate paradox: Legal obligations, policy declaration and insufficient policy implementation 6. Climate laggards I: Reasons for lack of implementation, climate blockade and conflicts in the USA and in Canada 7. Climate laggards II: Reasons for the lack of implementation in the Asia-Pacific: Australia and Japan 8. Assessing the impacts of global environmental change (1972-2012): Scientization, politicization, securitization, economization, ideologization of climate change 9. Responding to global climate change: Two competing discourses: securitization vs. sustainability transition 10. Towards an alternative paradigm: Sustainability revolution and transition 11. Research on sustainability transition: Approach of the Amsterdam and Leuven School 12. Research on sustainability transition: Approach of the Lund and Copenhagen School 13. Research on Sustainability Transition: Other approaches and emerging schools in North America and in Asia 14. European Union as a leading actor on sustainability transition: Roadmaps for sustainability transition until 2050 in the energy, transportation and production sectors 15. Laggards: USA, Canada, Australia and Japan: Policies in the energy sector 16. Policies of BASIC countries in the energy sector in Brazil, India, China and South Africa close