Call for Papers
We invite you to join us for the Twenty-Second International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability, the annual meeting of the On Sustainability Research Network, taking place 20–22 April 2026 in Rhodes, Greece and online, in partnership with our host institution, the University of the Aegean. This year, the conference is convened jointly with the Climate Change: Impacts & Responses Research Network, bringing together two communities committed to understanding unsustainability as a multidimensional condition involving ecological, cultural, economic, infrastructural, and social systems.
In 2026, our shared special focus “Unseen Unsustainability: Addressing Hidden Risks to Long-Term Wellbeing for All” invites participants to consider the many interlocking forms of ecological and social fragility that remain obscured when sustainability discourse narrows to carbon metrics alone. Carbon emissions matter greatly, yet many additional pressures—biodiversity collapse, freshwater stress, soil degradation, inequitable resource use, cultural displacement, and the erosion of social cohesion—pose equally significant threats to long-term wellbeing.
This year’s focus asks how communities, institutions, and global systems might identify and respond to these less visible risks. It also invites research on how metrics, narratives, governance frameworks, and education systems shape what counts as a sustainability problem—and what remains hidden. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions examining how regenerative practices, Indigenous and local knowledge, community-led transitions, cultural continuity, and social innovations can bring unseen risks into view and support more resilient, equitable, and ecologically grounded futures.
Alongside the Special Focus, we welcome proposals aligned with the Network’s annual themes:
2026 Special Focus; Ecological Realities; Participatory Process; Economic, Social & Cultural Context; and Education for Sustainability.
Knowledge Experience and Format
The conference operates as a hybrid knowledge experience, integrating in-person and online participation in one unified scholarly environment. All accepted proposals become Presentation Pages on CGScholar Event (KX), enabling presenters to upload abstracts, media, and reflections and allowing delegates to engage in discussion before, during, and after the gathering.
Because this is a joint convening with the Climate Change Research Network, the schedule is designed to facilitate cross-network engagement, shared sessions, and thematic correspondence around sustainability transitions, climate adaptation, governance, and community resilience.
Publication Pathways
Presenters are invited to develop their work for possible publication in the On Sustainability Journal Collection, which explores environmental, cultural, economic, and social dimensions of sustainable practice, or in the On Sustainability Book Imprint, which publishes monographs and edited volumes advancing scholarship on sustainable futures. Both outlets offer options for traditional and Open Access publication.
Membership and Community
We welcome new and returning members to the On Sustainability Research Network. A Presenter Pass automatically activates your membership for the year, providing access to the online Knowledge Experience, a shared digital environment supporting the full cycle of scholarly work—preparation, presentation, reflection, and publication. Members have access to conference archives, journals and books, calls for papers, program updates, and community-review spaces.
Membership also extends into our in-person gatherings, where participants meet host partners, engage in interdisciplinary dialogue, and build collaborations that continue throughout the year. Membership sustains the Research Network and ensures ongoing access to its programs, archives, journals, and books—helping keep ideas in motion across regions and generations.
Join Us
We warmly invite you to submit a proposal and to join us—either in Rhodes or online—for the Twenty-Second International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability, convened jointly with the Climate Change: Impacts & Responses Research Network. Together, we will explore how recognizing and addressing hidden risks can enrich sustainability practice and support more regenerative, just, and resilient futures.
Sincerely,
Dr. Chryssi Vitsilaki, Conference Chair, University of the Aegean, Greece
Dr. Victoria Hurth, Research Network Chair, Institute for Sustainability Leadership, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Dr. David Humphreys, Research Network Chair, The Open University, United Kingdom
Dr. Phillip Kalantzis-Cope, Chief Social Scientist, Common Ground Research Networks, United States of America