Knowledge Commons
Sustainability Research and Practice
Field edited by : Keith Pezzoli
Categories
Information Science & Knowledge Management; Sustainability Science;
Summary
The defining feature of sustainability science is the emphasis it places on use-inspired research, and more importantly, the commitment to bridging science (the academy) to society through problem solving in the real world, with genuine partnerships. Sustainability science addresses issues of scale—including how local-regional-global dynamics interact. The field also underscores the need to improve science communication as well as our collective capacity to work together across diverse boundaries (public, private, not-for-profit, university disciplines). Sustainability scientists are engaged scholars.
Narrative
Quote from paper in PNAS:
“Sustainability science has emerged over the last two decades as a vibrant field of research and innovation. Today, the field has developed a core research agenda, an increasing flow of results, and a growing number of universities committed to teaching its methods and findings. Like ‘‘agricultural science’’ and ‘‘health science,’’ sustainability science is a field defined by the problems it addresses rather than by the disciplines it employs. In particular, the field seeks to facilitate what the National Research Council has called a ‘‘transition toward sustainability,’’ improving society’s capacity to use the earth in ways that simultaneously ‘‘meet the needs of a much larger but stabilizing human population, . . . sustain the life support systems of the planet, and . . . substantially reduce hunger and poverty’’ http://www.pnas.org/site/misc/sustainability.shtml
Multimedia
The National Academies have established a Science and Technology for Sustainability Program (STS) has been established in the division of Policy and Global Affairs. The Program’s goal is to encourage the use of science and technology to achieve long term sustainable development - increasing incomes, improving public health, and sustaining critical natural systems. To learn more about sustainability activities, both in the STS program and throughout the other boards and committees of the National Academies, please visit our website at http://sustainability.nationalacademies.org
.The Forum on Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development tracks the way in which science and innovation are being conducted and applied to meet human needs while preserving the life support systems of the planet. It highlights people and programs that are studying nature-society interactions and applying the resulting knowledge to create a sustainability transition around the world. The editors’ selection of key do cuments, events, and opportunities are also featured on the Forum’s website at http://sustainabilityscience.org
.The Science and Development Network aims to help individuals and organizations in the developing world make informed decisions on science- and technology-related issues that impact on social and economic development. The Network seeks to achieve this by enhancing the provision of reliable and authoritative information on such issues, in particular by operating a free-access website containing news, views and analysis about science and technology in the developing world. The Network’s extensive website is available at http://SciDev.net
.Bäckstrand, Karin 2003. “Civic Science for Sustainability: Reframing the Role of Experts, Policy-Makers and Citizens in Environmental Governance.” Global Environmental Politics 4:24-40.
Bell, Simon and Stephen Morse. 1999. Sustainability indicators : measuring the immeasurable? London: Earthscan Publications.
Berkowitz, Alan R., Charles H. Nilon and Karen S. Hollweg. 2003. Understanding urban ecosystems : a new frontier for science and education. New York: Springer.
Biermann, Frank. 2004. “Knowledge for the Sustainability Transition. The Challenge for Social Science.” Pp. 1-11 in Proceedings of the 2002 Berlin Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change, edited by F. Biermann, S. Campe and K. Jacob. Berlin: Global Governance Project.
Clark, William C. 2007. “Sustainability Science: A room of its own.” PNAS 104:1737-1738.
Dale, Virginia H. and Richard A. Haeuber. 2001. Applying ecological principles to land management. New York: Springer.
Hess, David J. 2007. Alternative pathways in science and industry : activism, innovation, and the environment in an era of globalization. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Innes, Judith E. and David E. Booher. 1999. “Metropolitan Development as a Complex System: A New Approach to Sustainability.” Journal of Planning Education and Research 13:141-156.
Jensen, Mark E. and Patrick S. Bourgeron. 2001. A guidebook for integrated ecological assessments. New York: Springer.
Kasemir, Bernd, Jill Jager, Carlo C. Jaeger and Matthew T. Gardner. 2003. Public participation in sustainability science : a handbook. Cambridge, UK ; New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Omenn, Gilbert S. 2006. “PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: Grand Challenges and Great Opportunities in Science, Technology, and Public Policy.” Science 314:1696-1704.
Pezzoli, K. 1997a. “Sustainable Development Literature: A Transdisciplinary Bibliography.” Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 40:575-602.
Pezzoli, Keith. 1997b. “Sustainable Development: A Transdisciplinary Overview of the Literature.” Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 40:549-574.
—. 2006. “Cross-Border Regionalism and Sustainability: Contributions of Critical Regional Ecology.” Pp. 63-94 in Equity and Sustainable Development Regional Reflections from the U.S.-Mexico Border, edited by J. Clough-Riquelme and N. Bringas Rábago, U.S.-Mexico Contemporary Perspectives Series, 24. La Jolla, CA: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego
Press, Daniel. 2002. Saving open space : the politics of local preservation in California. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Ravetz, Joe. 2000. “Integrated assessment for sustainability appraisal in cities and regions.” Environmental Impact Assessment Review 20:31.
Wheeler, Stephen. 2004. Planning for sustainability: Creating livable, equitable, and ecological communities. New York: Routledge.
Wheeler, Stephen and Timothy Beatley. 2004. The sustainable urban development reader. London ; New York: Routledge.
Wheeler, Stephen M. 2000. “Planning for Metropolitan Sustainability.” Journal of Planning Education and Research 20:133-145.