Recontextualization of Climate Technology Cooperation in Sumatra Peatlands: An Ecological Modernization Perspective

This study examines how technology transfer is recontextualized within local settings in climate technology cooperation and under what conditions such processes can contribute to ecologically just transitions, focusing on peatland fires in Sumatra, Indonesia. Drawing on ecological modernization theory, it analyzes the co-constitutive relationships among technology, society, and ecosystems and advances a relational practice perspective that moves beyond the technical-efficiency focus of conventional technology transfer research by emphasizing social acceptability and institutional internalization. Methodologically, the study combines document analysis of Global Environment Facility (GEF) projects with comparative case studies across eight countries, using AI-assisted discourse analysis and process tracing to investigate three analytical dimensions: technology-society integration, governance structures, and knowledge production. The findings identify three theories of change in climate technology cooperation: technology-driven, participation-based, and integrated models. They further show that strong ecological modernization, characterized by the combination of participatory governance, institutional innovation, and value change, is more likely to generate transformative outcomes by fostering social acceptability and institutional internalization. These results suggest the need to revise and extend ecological modernization theory in the Global South context and support three policy principles for climate technology cooperation: prioritizing contextual appropriateness, building multi-level governance, and promoting knowledge coproduction.