| 1. |
- Jerneck, Anne, et al.
(författare)
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Structuring Sustainability Science
- 2011
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Ingår i: Sustainability Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1862-4057 .- 1862-4065. ; 6:1, s. 69-82
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is urgent in science and society to address climate change and other sustainability challenges such as biodiversity loss, deforestation, depletion of marine fish stocks, global ill-health, land degradation, land use change and water scarcity. Sustainability science (SS) is an attempt to bridge the natural and social sciences for seeking creative solutions to these complex challenges. In this article, we propose a research agenda that advances the methodological and theoretical understanding of what SS can be, how it can be pursued and what it can contribute. The key focus is on knowledge structuring. For that purpose, we designed a generic research platform organised as a three-dimensional matrix comprising three components: core themes (scientific understanding, sustainability goals, sustainability pathways); cross-cutting critical and problem- solving approaches; and any combination of the sustainability challenges above. As an example, we insert four sustainability challenges into the matrix (biodiversity loss, climate change, land use changes, water scarcity). Based on the matrix with the four challenges, we discuss three issues for advancing theory and methodology in SS: how new synergies across natural and social sciences can be created; how integrated theories for understanding and responding to complex sustainability issues can be developed; and how theories and concepts in economics, gender studies, geography, political science and sociology can be applied in SS. The generic research platform serves to structure and create new knowledge in SS and is a tool for exploring any set of sustainability challenges. The combined critical and problem- solving approach is essential.
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| 2. |
- Ness, Barry, et al.
(författare)
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Categorising tools for sustainability assessment
- 2007
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Ingår i: Ecological Economics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-8009. ; 60:1, s. 498-508
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this paper is to provide a cohesive categorisation of the most common sustainability assessment tools within the broader objective of lifting the understanding of tools from the environmentally-focused realm to that of the wider concept of sustainability. The framework provided is based on four main categories: indicators/indices, regional material and energy flows, life cycle approach and tools for integrated assessment. Furthermore, there is the overarching category of monetary valuation tools that can be used as a part of many of the tools listed in the subcategories above. The paper also shows that many of the tools for sustainability assessment still fail to fulfil the demands of the complex environmental, social and economic systems as proposed by the promoters of sustainability science.
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| 3. |
- Ness, Barry, et al.
(författare)
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Structuring problems in sustainability science: The multi-level DPSIR framework
- 2010
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Ingår i: Geoforum. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-9398 .- 0016-7185. ; 41:3, s. 479-488
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sustainability science needs approaches that allow for the integration of knowledge across disciplines and scales. This paper suggests an approach to conceptualize problems of unsustainability by embedding the Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) scheme within a multi-level institutional framework represented by Hagerstrand's system of nested domains. The proposed taxonomy helps to decipher and to better understand key casual chains and societal responses at the appropriate spatial levels for particular sustainability problem areas. To illustrate the scheme more concretely the example of recent problem-solving efforts for Baltic Sea eutrophication driven by Swedish agriculture is examined. The discussion focuses on how the scheme fulfills the four research strategy requirements within the field of sustainability science and how the scheme is distinct from alternative approaches. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 4. |
- Ness, Barry, et al.
(författare)
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The African Land-Grab: Creating Equitable Governance Strategies through Codes-of-Conduct and Certification Schemes
- 2009
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper examines two failed land acquisition processes for food and biofuels production in Africa with the aim to establishing more equitable governance strategies. More specifically it explores the roles of certification schemes and codes-of-conduct can play in these processes. The two cases used are the South Korean Daewoo Logistics case in Madagascar and the Swedish SEKAB in Tanzania. The methods used were a literature survey and a case structuring using a multi-level (governance) framework. Analyses reveal that governance disconnects occurred between the regional and village levels with the Daewoo-Madagascar case driven largely by a lack of transparency in the negotiation process. The SEKAB-Tanzania case failed largely due to discrepancies revealed by an interest organization and the inability of traditional governance systems to manage the scale of the project. Lastly the paper presents a framework consisting of four areas where certification schemes and codes-of-conduct can be used in order to provide a governance system in order to increase access and allocation aspects.
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