Leverage points for sustainability transformation
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In: Ambio, Vol. 46, No. 1, 01.02.2017, p. 30-39.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Leverage points for sustainability transformation
AU - Abson, David J.
AU - Fischer, Joern
AU - Leventon, Julia
AU - Newig, Jens
AU - Schomerus, Thomas
AU - Vilsmaier, Ulli
AU - von Wehrden, Henrik
AU - Abernethy, Paivi
AU - Ives, Christopher David
AU - Jager, Nicolas W.
AU - Lang, Daniel J.
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - Despite substantial focus on sustainability issues in both science and politics, humanity remains on largely unsustainable development trajectories. Partly, this is due to the failure of sustainability science to engage with the root causes of unsustainability. Drawing on ideas by Donella Meadows, we argue that many sustainability interventions target highly tangible, but essentially weak, leverage points (i.e. using interventions that are easy, but have limited potential for transformational change). Thus, there is an urgent need to focus on less obvious but potentially far more powerful areas of intervention. We propose a research agenda inspired by systems thinking that focuses on transformational ‘sustainability interventions’, centred on three realms of leverage: reconnecting people to nature, restructuring institutions and rethinking how knowledge is created and used in pursuit of sustainability. The notion of leverage points has the potential to act as a boundary object for genuinely transformational sustainability science.
AB - Despite substantial focus on sustainability issues in both science and politics, humanity remains on largely unsustainable development trajectories. Partly, this is due to the failure of sustainability science to engage with the root causes of unsustainability. Drawing on ideas by Donella Meadows, we argue that many sustainability interventions target highly tangible, but essentially weak, leverage points (i.e. using interventions that are easy, but have limited potential for transformational change). Thus, there is an urgent need to focus on less obvious but potentially far more powerful areas of intervention. We propose a research agenda inspired by systems thinking that focuses on transformational ‘sustainability interventions’, centred on three realms of leverage: reconnecting people to nature, restructuring institutions and rethinking how knowledge is created and used in pursuit of sustainability. The notion of leverage points has the potential to act as a boundary object for genuinely transformational sustainability science.
KW - Human–environment systems
KW - Institutional change
KW - Knowledge creation and use
KW - Social–ecological systems
KW - Sustainability science
KW - Transdisciplinarity
KW - Sustainability Science
KW - Transdisciplinary studies
KW - Sustainability sciences, Communication
KW - Politics
KW - Law
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84976324462&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/441c5f2d-c769-3f1f-86ba-93c4d5ef69f2/
U2 - 10.1007/s13280-016-0800-y
DO - 10.1007/s13280-016-0800-y
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 27344324
AN - SCOPUS:84976324462
VL - 46
SP - 30
EP - 39
JO - Ambio
JF - Ambio
SN - 0044-7447
IS - 1
ER -