Skip to main content

Abstract

Three hundred years after defining sustainable development in forestry and 25 years after conceptualizing sustainability as a societal guiding vision and regulative idea, the necessity for further operationalizing and realizing sustainability is greater than ever. The textbook at hand provides a state-of-the-art overview of key areas of sustainable development. Like a mosaic, the chapters compose building blocks, which assemble an encompassing perspective on sustainability science. We hope to contribute with this textbook to the further establishment of sustainability science and to enable the next generation of sustainability experts to get a “grip” on the challenging and exciting “centenary topic” of sustainable development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Clark WC, Dickson NM (2003) Sustainability science: the emerging research program. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:8059–8061

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clark WC, Tomich TP, van Noordwijk M, Guston D, Catacutan D et al (in press) Boundary work for sustainable development: natural resource management at the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Proc Natl Acad Sci USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Jernecke A, Olsson L, Ness B, Anderberg S, Baier M, Clark E, Hickler T, Hornborg A, Kronsell A, Loevbrand E, Persson J (2011) Structuring sustainability science. Sustain Sci 6:69–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Kates RW, Clark WC, Corell R, Hall JM et al (2001) Sustainability science. Science 292:641–642

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Komiyama H, Takeuchi K (2006) Sustainability science: building a new discipline. Sustain Sci 1:1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lang DJ, Wiek A, Bergmann M, Stauffacher M, Martens P, Moll P, Swilling M, Thomas C (2012) Transdisciplinary research in sustainability science – practice, principles and challenges. Sustain Sci 7(Supplement 1):25–43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller TR, Wiek A, Sarewitz D, Robinson J, Olsson L, Kriebel D, Loorbach D (2014) The future of sustainability science: a solutions-oriented research agenda. Sustain Sci 9(2):239–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raskin P, Banuri T, Gallopin G, Gutman P, Hammond A, Kates R, Swart R (2002) Great transition: the promise and lure of the times ahead. Stockholm Environment Institute, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Rockström J, Steffen W, Noone K, Persson A, Chapin FS et al (2009) A safe operating space for humanity. Nature 461:472–475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (1993) Agenda 21 – programme of action for sustainable development. Agreements negotiated by Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), 3–14 June 1992, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. New York

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (2011) The millennium development goals report 2011. United Nations, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Environment Programme (2012) Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO5) – environment for the future we want. United Nations Environment Program, Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Leeuw S, Wiek A, Harlow J, Buizer J (2012) How much time do we have? Urgency and rhetoric in sustainability science. Sustain Sci 7(Supplement 1):115–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Carlowitz HC (2013) Sylvicultura Oecnonomica – Haußwirthliche Nachricht und Naturmäßige Anweisung zur Wilden Baum-Zucht [Economic news and instructions for the natural growing of wild trees]. Oekom Verlag, München

    Google Scholar 

  • WBGU – Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Globale Umweltveränderungen [German Advisory Council on Global Change] (2011) Welt im Wandel. Gesellschaftsvertrag für eine große Transformation [World in transition: a social contract for sustainability]. WBGU, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiek A, Kay B (2015). Learning while transforming – solution-oriented learning for urban sustainability in Phoenix, Arizona. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 16:29–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiek A, Ness B, Brand FS, Schweizer-Ries P, Farioli F (2012) From complex systems analysis to transformational change: a comparative appraisal of sustainability science projects. Sustain Sci 7(Supplement 1):5–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiek A, Harlow J, Melnick R, van der Leeuw S, Fukushi K, Takeuchi K, Farioli F, Yamba F, Blake A, Geiger C, Kutter R (2015) Sustainability science in action – a review of the state of the field through case studies on disaster recovery, bioenergy, and precautionary purchasing. Sustain Sci 10:17–31

    Google Scholar 

  • World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) (1987) Our common future. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • WWF (ed) (2012) Living planet report 2012: biodiversity, biocapacity and better choices. WWF International, Gland, Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Harald Heinrichs .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Heinrichs, H., Wiek, A., Martens, P., Michelsen, G. (2016). Introduction. In: Heinrichs, H., Martens, P., Michelsen, G., Wiek, A. (eds) Sustainability Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7242-6_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics