Pattern languages as a design tool to tackle “wicked problems” in sustainability science

Humanity is facing global and local sustainability challenges that call for the involvement of a wide range of expertise drawn from academia, civil society, the private sector, as well as funding and development agencies. The challenge will be to leverage this diversity to nurture decision making. To make such discussions successful we propose a pattern language approach. It can be used as a practical step-by-step process to guide interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers and to facilitate transdisciplinary interactions between the academic and nonacademic worlds. The patterns are documented and freely accessible online in the Sustainable Science Pattern database.

Staatliche Governance-Kapazität für Nachhaltigkeit: Konzeptualisierung und Anwendung eines Messinstruments in Schweizer Kantonen

Regierungen und Verwaltungen richten ihr Handeln vermehrt auf Nachhaltigkeit aus. Doch wie erfolgreich sind sie dabei? Wir stellen ein Instrument zur Messung nachhaltigkeitsbezogener interner Governance-Kapazität vor. Die Anwendung auf Schweizer Kantone offenbart deutliche Kapazitätsunterschiede und zeigt Möglichkeiten zur Stärkung staatlicher Governance-Kapazität auf.Sustainability has become an important guiding principle that has not only found its way into numerous policies, but also into the “engine rooms” of governance. Governments and administrations have established diverse governance arrangements orienting state actions towards sustainability. How does this integration of sustainability into governmental and administrative activity succeed? This paper proposes an instrument for the measurement and comparison of sustainability-oriented internal governance capacity and operationalizes it in the context of Swiss cantons. The application of the measurement tool documents the diversity of governance arrangements and their different capacities. It shows where, and how, the sustainability governance of governments and administrations can be further strengthened.

Herausforderung Reallabor: Werkstattbericht zur Reallaborforschung

2019 haben das Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, die Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, das Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie und das Ecological Research Network das Netzwerk Reallabore der Nachhaltigkeit gegründet. Die Kommunikations- und Kooperationsplattform will zu einer transformativen Nachhaltigkeitsforschung beitragen.

Transdisciplinary research: towards an integrative perspective

Since the emergence of transdisciplinary research, context dependencies, innovative formats and methods, societal effects, and scientific effects are key aspects that have been discussed at length. However, what is still missing is an integrative perspective on these four aspects, and the guidance on how to apply such an integrative perspective in order to realize the full transformative potential of transdisciplinary research. We provide an overview of each aspect and highlight relevant research questions that need to be answered to advance transdisciplinary research.

Wider die Fixierung auf die Politik! Anmerkungen zur aktuellen Transformationsdebatte

Die Frage, wie sich die kapitalistisch-industrielle Produktionsweise begrenzen lässt, begründete die Anfänge der sozial-ökologischen Forschung. Heute, 30 Jahre später, sind die Antworten die gleichen wie damals: Statt auf ,,die Politik“ zu setzen, um die multiple Krise zu lösen, muss sich die Gesellschaft der Frage nach Selbstbegrenzung stellen. Die Lektüre eines Grundlagenwerks der sozial-ökologischen Forschung, das 1991 erschienen ist, hilft zu verstehen, warum der gesellschaftliche Wandel in Richtung Nachhaltigkeit nach wie vor ausbleibt.

Von UniNEtZ zu UniNEtZ II ‐ eine Reflexion zu Erreichtem und ein Ausblick zu Angestrebtem

In den letzten drei Jahren haben über 300 Wissenschaftler(innen) im Rahmen des Projekts Universitäten und Nachhaltige EntwicklungsZiele (UniNEtZ) an Optionen gearbeitet, wie die nachhaltigen Entwicklungsziele der Agenda 2030 in Österreich umgesetzt werden können. Neben wesentlichen Beiträgen zu einer sozial-ökologischen Transformation sollen in einer nächsten Phase Impulse für die Transformation des Wissenschaftssystems selbst gesetzt werden.

Systemische Analysen und internationaler Austausch

2021 musste die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Humanökologie zum zweiten Mal eine Tagung virtuell abhalten. Hier ist der Bericht darüber und über das Onlineprogramm der Europäischen Hochschule der Humanökologie.

Intended and unintended effects of statutory deposit return schemes for single-use plastic bottles: Lessons learned from the German experience

Several EU countries discuss introducing deposit systems for single-use bottles to mitigate pollution. However, as an analysis of the German experiences indicates, the introduction of a deposit on single-use beverage containers might unintendedly compromise the endeavor to implement a circular economy. Such unintended effects need to be considered to enable the implementation of a circular economy that prioritizes reduction and reuse compared to recycling.High levels of environmental pollution and low recycling rates have triggered a debate on deposit return systems for single-use beverage containers (BCs) within the European Union. In 2003, Germany statutorily implemented a deposit for single-use BCs, which operates alongside a historically grown deposit system for multi-use bottles. The long-standing German practice can be used as a source of relevant experiences. These experiences show that the introduction of a single-use deposit is a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it caused an increase in return and recycling rates of single-use BCs. On the other hand, there were unintended effects on the long-standing multi-use system and, thus, on the endeavor to implement a circular economy where reduction and reuse are prioritized rather than recycling. It seems that the introduction of a single-use deposit system promotes a narrow mode of thinking and a focus on recycling, which hinders the revitalization of multi-use BC systems. The EU’s debate on single-use deposit lacks critical consideration of such unintended effects. The discussion of the German experiences might help to avoid unintended effects that hinder the establishment of a circular economy.