Jan Rotmans Explained

Jan Rotmans (born March 29, 1961) is a Dutch professor, scientist in the field of climate change, sustainability, and transition, and environmental activist.^{[1] [2]} He developed the global transition model TARGETS, which builds on the global model of the Club of Rome.

He is a professor of sustainability transitions at DRIFT–Erasmus University Rotterdam and the founder of the National Knowledge and Innovation Center for Transitions (KSI). Rotmans is also a co-founder of several organizations, including Urgenda Foundation, International Centre for Integrated Assessment and Sustainable Development (ICIS), Dutch Research Institute For Transitions (DRIFT), and Nederland Kantelt.

Early life and education

Rotmans was born on March 29, 1961, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. After completing his master of science in applied mathematics from TU Delft, he attended The National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and started his PhD research in 1986. Later, in 1990, Rotmans received his PhD on the Integrated Model to Access the Greenhouse Effect (IMAGE) model of climate change.^{[3] [4]}

Career

Rotmans started his career in 1992 by becoming the youngest professor in the Netherlands at the University of Maastricht. In 1995, he was associated with the United Nations in New York, working on the harmonization of the integrated climate models and the evaluation of global sustainability policy before establishing ICIS at Maastricht University in 1997. At ICIS, He developed the global transition model TARGETS, which was built on the world model of the Club of Rome.

In the early 2000s, together with John Grin and Johan Schot, he started a national research program on transitions of approximately 22 million euros and the National Transition Research Network KSI, which in turn formed the basis for the European Transition Network. In 2004, he founded the transition research institute DRIFT and started serving as a professor of Transitions and Sustainability at Erasmus University Rotterdam.^[5]

Along with Marjan Minnesma, Rotmans established the Urgenda Foundation in 2007 and became its chairman. Through the Urgenda Foundation, he sued the Dutch state and thus forced the government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 2015. In addition, he participated in establishing several organizations, including TeamNXT, Nederland Kantelt, Zorgeloos, Education in Transition, and the Gideonsbende in the early 2020s.

As of 2024, Rotmans is a professor of sustainability transitions at DRIFT – Erasmus University Rotterdam, chairman of the Urgenda Foundation, and involved in the sustainability of the Port of Rotterdam for TeamNXT.^{[6] [7] [8]} He is also associated with other non-profit organizations in the Netherlands.^{[9] [10]}

Selected publications

Rotmans founded two scientific journals ('Environmental Modeling' and 'Assessment and Integrated Assessment') and published more than 30 books on sustainability and transitions. In addition, he published more than 300 scientific articles in the fields of sustainability, environment, transitions, and system innovations.

In 2021, he published his book Omarm de Chaos, in which he advises national and international organizations and governments, such as the European Commission, United Nations, World Bank, OECD, Ministries in Scandinavia, Germany, England, the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan, and the European Environment Agency.^{[11] [12] [13]}

• Book: Rotmans . J. . Verheijden . M. . 2021 . Embrace the Chaos . De Geus . Amsterdam.
• none . De Haan . F. . Rotmans . J. . A proposed theoretical framework for actors in transformative change . Technological Forecasting and Social Change . 128 . March 2018 . 275–286. 10.1016/j.techfore.2017.12.017 .
• Book: Rotmans, J. . 978-90-6962-250-7 . Ondernemen in transitie : bedrijfstransities als innovatief model voor duurzaam ondernemen . none . 2014 . Stichting Maatschappij en Onderneming .
• Book: Rotmans, J. . Verandering van tijdperk : Nederland kantelt . Change of era: The Netherlands tilts . Aeneas . 2014 . 978-946104035-0 .
• Book: Rotmans, J. . none . 2012 . In the eye of the hurricane, the Netherlands in transition . Aeneas Publishers . Boxtel . 978-946104026-8.
• Transitions & transition management: Origin, status and future . Annals of Hematology . 2012.
• On patterns and agency in transition dynamics: Some key insights from the KSI programme . Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra . 2011 . 10.1016/j.eist.2011.04.008 . Grin . John . Rotmans . Jan . Schot . Johan . 1 . 1 . 76–81 . 2011EIST....1...76G .
• A dynamic conceptualization of power for sustainability research . Journal of Cleaner Production . 2011. 2011JCPro..19..796A . Avelino . Flor . Rotmans . Jan . 19 . 8 . 796 . 10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.11.012 .
• de Haan . J. (Hans) . Rotmans . Jan . January 2011 . Patterns in transitions: Understanding complex chains of change . Technological Forecasting and Social Change . en . 78 . 1 . 90–102 . 10.1016/j.techfore.2010.10.008 . none.
• Loorbach . D. . Rotmans . J. . April 2010 . The practice of transition management: Examples and lessons from four distinct cases . Futures . en . 42 . 3 . 237–246 . 10.1016/j.futures.2009.11.009 . none.
• Book: Rotmans, J. . 978-90-9025499-9 . Transitieagenda voor Nederland investeren in duurzame innovatie . nl . Transition agenda for the Netherlands: Investing in sustainable innovation . KSI . Rotterdam . 2010 .
• Book: none . Grin . J. . Rotmans . J. . Schot . J. . 2010 . Transitions towards sustainable development . KSI-book series . I . Routledge.
• none . Avelino . F. . Rotmans . J. . 2009 . Power in transitions . European Journal of Social Theory . 12 . 4 . 543–569. 10.1177/1368431009349830 .
• none . Rotmans . J. . Kemp . R. . van Asselt . M.B.A. . More evolution than revolution: transition management in public policy . Foresight . 3 . 1 . 15–32 . April 2001. 10.1108/14636680110803003 .
• none . Rotmans . J. . 1998 . Methods for Integrated Assessment: the challenges and opportunities ahead . Environmental Modelling and Assessment . 3 . 2 . 155–179. 10.1023/A:1019019024003 .
• Book: none . Rotmans . J. . de Vries . H.J.M. . 1997 . Perspectives on Global Change: the TARGETS approach . Cambridge University Press . Cambridge.
• none . Rotmans . J. . 1990 . IMAGE: an Integrated Model to Assess the Greenhouse Effect . PhD . Kluwer Academic Publishers . Dordrecht.
• none . Rotmans . J. . De Boois . H. . Swart . R.J. . 1990 . An integrated model for the assessment of the greenhouse effect: the Dutch approach . Climatic Change . 16 . 3 . 331–356. 10.1007/BF00144508 . 1990ClCh...16..331R .

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2021-11-06 . Klimaatprofessor Jan Rotmans houdt hoop: 'In één generatie naar een CO2-vrije haven is een onvoorstelbare opgave, maar als het ergens kan is het in Rotterdam' . 2024-09-11 . www.rijnmond.nl . nl.
2. Web site: 2024-09-11 .
3. Web site: 2021-11-18 . Wat als wereld zich niet aan afspraken Glasgow houdt? - Delta . 2024-09-11 . nl-NL.
4. Web site: Janse . Inge . 2012-11-22 . Jan Rotmans: "Laat de mensen mij voor gek verklaren" . 2024-09-11 . Vers Beton . nl-NL.
5. Web site: 2024-09-11 .
6. Web site: Jan Rotmans over de coronacrisis: "We hebben dit soort crises nodig" Change Inc. . 2024-09-11 . www.change.inc . nl.
7. Web site: 2020-09-08 . Transitieprofessor Jan Rotmans krijgt eigen huis niet gasvrij Binnenland Telegraaf.nl . 2024-09-11 . www.telegraaf.nl . nl.
8. Web site: 2024-09-11 .
9. Web site: 2024-09-11 .
10. Web site: Rotterdammer Jan Rotmans neemt afstand van Extinction Rebellion . 2024-09-11 . dagblad010.nl . nl.
11. Web site: 2022-02-11 . Zo kan Nederland zichzelf opnieuw uitvinden . 2024-09-11 . VPRO . nl.
12. Web site: Rotterdammer Jan Rotmans neemt afstand van Extinction Rebellion . 2024-09-11 . dagblad010.nl . nl.
13. Web site: Omarm de chaos . 2024-09-11 . www.sampol.be . nl.