Sustainability science

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Sustainability Science ( English sustainability science ) is a new applied science that deals with the theory, research and implementation of sustainability , sustainable development and sustainability strategies (operating at local, regional, national and global levels and fields of practice sustainability management etc., education) busy.

International recognition

The Sustainability Science was established in 2001 officially at the conference "Challenges of a Changing Earth" in Amsterdam by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP), the International Human Dimensions Program ( IHDP) and the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) introduced. The German expression of sustainability science is a translation of the English term.

Science in the service of sustainable development

The general scientific thought the sustainability idea came only when on the Earth Summit (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (English: United Nations Conference on Environment and Development , UNCED) from 3 to 14 June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro) in the Agenda 21 (Chapter 35) the role of science in the service of sustainable development was outlined (cf. Stappen: 2000, p. 259).

Almost every one of the 40 chapters of Agenda 21 emphasizes the necessity of the participation of science for the implementation of global sustainable development. It can be concluded from this that sustainable development will not be possible or only possible to a limited extent without the support of science.

For the practice of sustainability in the sense of the practice of the "principle of responsibility" by Hans Jonas, science plays a very decisive role. Science in the service of sustainable development will not and cannot meet the new requirements through continuous changes. Linked to this is the need for a paradigm shift, also in terms of the development of new scientific disciplines.

Sustainability science is therefore science in the service of sustainable development - with all sciences bearing joint responsibility for the implementation of sustainable development.

Cornerstones of sustainability science

Based on the discussions so far, the following basic consensus on science and sustainability and on sustainability science can be established ( Lit .: Stappen, 2000):

  • 1. Sustainability science is a partially normative science . One intention is the scientific foundation of sustainable practice and action (Agenda 21: Chapter 35.3a). When it comes to goals, values, norms and how they are weighed against one another (for example: intergenerational equity versus economic freedom for those living today), this is a normative question. If, on the other hand, questions are asked about instruments for implementing these “balanced” goals or about the causes of a lack of sustainability, then this is descriptive science (cf. Ekardt 2009).
  • 2. Sustainability science is multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary . Sustainable development far exceeds the potential of any single scientific discipline.
  • 3. Sustainability science is primarily practically oriented . The aim is to solve existential problems in world society and the life system earth. In practice it is about the management of sustainability and sustainable development.
  • 4. Sustainability science is based on the responsibility of science and the individual scientist towards future generations and the life system of the earth.

Early examples (1995 ff.) For sustainability science are the study Sustainable Germany and for applied sustainability science, the Altmühltal Agenda 21 project of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (1994–1999), which presented the first attempts to base sustainable development scientifically and normatively and put into practice. Due to the lack of a suitable scientific framework such as sustainability science, there have been considerable legitimation problems here after the publication of the study and in practice.

The central international platform on the development of sustainability science is the International Network on Science and Technology for Sustainability at Harvard University, where sustainability scientists from all over the world have come together and the network projects show the diversity of scientific sustainability research.

The national platform in Germany is the “Research for Sustainable Developments” (FONA) initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), which brings together actors and research activities in the field of research for sustainability.

purpose

The emergence of sustainability science can only be understood against the background that scientists from various disciplines (e.g. climate researchers, ecologists, geoecologists, biologists, geographers, social and political scientists, physicists, human ecologists, etc.) who deal with global change and sustainability research scientifically employed, are now almost "always" forced to make statements outside of their traditional specialist boundaries. So z. B. a climate researcher already with a statement about reduction targets or climate protection policy his scientifically methodically secured area. This is due to the fact that reduction targets cannot be obtained from scientific-descriptive models alone . At some point in the analysis, a target value to be achieved or a boundary condition that should not be violated must always be determined. However, this definition itself is not possible with scientific means, but is a normative definition outside the competence area of ​​any empirical science. From an epistemological point of view, however, it is possible without any problems to hypothetically base the statement about reduction targets on corresponding target values ​​and boundary conditions . The emergence of a dedicated sustainability science can be seen as an expression of the insight that such “transgressions” must and can be methodically secured.

History of the origins of Sustainability Science

The following text from the Forum on Science and Technology for Sustainability (Harvard University) gives an insight into the genesis of "Sustainability Science".

" The world's present development path is not sustainable. Efforts to meet the needs of a growing population in an interconnected but unequal and human-dominated world are undermining the Earth's essential life-support systems. ... Meeting fundamental human needs while preserving the life-support systems of planet Earth will require a world-wide acceleration of today's halting progress in a transition toward sustainability ....

Above all, a response has begun to emerge from science itself and the growing recognition across many disciplines of the need for synthesis and integration - needs that are being reflected in many new multidisciplinary research efforts and institutions. These various scientific efforts to promote the goals of a sustainability transition - meeting human needs while preserving the life support systems of the earth - are leading to the emergence of a new field of sustainability science. "

Study opportunities

in Germany:

  • University of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg
    • Sustainable Social Policy (Bachelor of Arts, BA)
    • Sustainable engineering (Bachelor of Engineering, B.Eng. - also cooperative)
    • Materials Science and Sustainability Methods (Master of Science, M.Sc.)

in Austria:

in Switzerland:

  • University of Basel
    • Master's program in Sustainable Development (Master of Science, M.Sc.)
  • University of Bern
    • Research Center for Digital Sustainability supervises master's and bachelor's theses on research topics open source software, open data, linked data, open government, ICT procurement and digital sustainability .

Research institutes

Alphabetical overview of German research institutes
1. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) 19. Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research GmbH (UFZ)
2. artec - Sustainability Research Center, University of Bremen 20. INFU Institute for Environmental Research, University of Dortmund
3. Borderstep - Institute for Innovation and Sustainability gGmbH 21. Institute for Energy and Climate Research, Systems Research and Technological Development (IEK-STE), Research Center Jülich
4. Center for Global Studies, University of Bonn 22. Institute for Alternative and Sustainable Nutrition (INFANE)
5. Center for Sustainability Management (CSM), University of Lüneburg 23. Institute for Atmosphere and Environment IAU, University of Frankfurt
6. Center of Research for Society and Sustainability (CeSSt), University of Fulda 24. Institute for Green Technology and Rural Development, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences
7. CUTEC Institute GmbH 25. Institute for Landscape Ecology, University of Giessen
8. Franco-German Institute for Environmental Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology 26. Institute for ecological economic research (IÖW) gGmbH
9. German Biomass Research Center (DBFZ) gGmbH 27. Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) gGmbH
10th German Development Institute (DIE) 28. Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) / Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
11. Ecologic Institute gGmbH 29. Institute for Transformative Sustainability Research / Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) , Potsdam
12. European Institute for Energy Research (EIfER), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology 30. Institute for Environmental Communication (INFU), University of Lüneburg
13. Factor 10 - Institute for Sustainable Economics gGmbH 31. Institute for Environmental Systems Research, Osnabrück University
14. Research Institute for Organic Agriculture Germany (FiBL Germany) e. V. 32nd International Center for Sustainable Development (IZNE), University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg
15. Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) 33. Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment (IZT) gGmbH
16. Geo Research Center Potsdam (GFZ) 34. Öko-Institut e. V.
17. GEOMAR - Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research 35. PIK - Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
18. Society for Ecology (GfÖ) - Technical University of Berlin 36. Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy GmbH

literature

  • Harald Heinrichs , Gerd Michelsen (Ed.), Sustainability Sciences, Berlin Heidelberg 2014, ISBN 978-3-642-25111-5 .
  • Karl-Werner Brand: Sustainability Research - Special Features, Problems and Requirements of a New Type of Research . In: Brand, Karl-Werner (Ed.): Sustainable development and transdisciplinarity. Special features, problems and requirements of sustainability research. 1st edition Berlin: Analytica-Verl. (Applied Environmental Research), 2000, pp. 9-29.
  • Salvino Busuttil, Emmanuel Agius, Peter Serracino Inglott, Tony Macelli (Eds.): Our Responsibilities towards Future Generations. A Program of Unesco and the International Environment Institute . Foundation for International Studies in cooperation with UNESCO, Malta 1990
  • Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Framework program of the BMBF for a sustainable, innovative society . Berlin 2004. http://www.bmbf.de/pub/forschung_nachhaltigkeit.pdf
  • Felix Ekardt : Theory of Sustainability. Legal, ethical and political approaches - using the example of climate change, scarcity of resources and world trade . Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlag 2011, ISBN 978-3-8329-6032-2 .
  • Sylvio Funtowicz, Martin O'Connor (Ed.): Science for Sustainable Development . International Journal of Sustainable Development (Special Issue) 2 (3), 1999 http://193.51.42.100/interjournals/ijsdcatal+contents/ijsdvol2/vol2(3)abs.htm
  • Bernhard glasses Interdisciplinary sustainability research: status and visions using the example of national and international research associations Munich: oekom 2006
  • Gerhard de Haan: Studies and research on sustainability Gütersloh: W. Bertelsmann, 2007
  • Thomas Jahn , Diana Hummel , Lukas Drees, Stefan Liehr, Alexandra Lux, Marion Mehring, Immanuel Stieß, Carolin Völker, Martina Winker, Martin Zimmermann (2020): Socio-ecological design in the Anthropocene. GAIA 29 (2), 93-97
  • Bernd Kasemir, Jill Jäger, Carlo Jaeger, Matthew T. Gardner Public Participation in Sustainability Science: A Handbook Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2003
  • Robert W. Kates , William C. Clark et al. (2001): Sustainability Science . Science 292: 641-2. online (PDF; 207 kB)
  • Ralf Klemens Stappen: Science and Agenda 21. Theses on science in the service of sustainable development. In: City of Güstrow. City-Surrounding Perspectives - Sustainable Regions in Europe. 2000. pp. 257-8. ISBN 3-00-007218-7 ( PDF 8 MB )
  • Uwe Schneidewind : Sustainable Science . Metropolis, Marburg 2009.
  • Paul Weaver, Leo Jansen , Geert van Grootveld, Egbert van Spiegel, Philip Vergragt: Sustainable Technology Development Sheffield: Greenfield 2000, ISBN 978-1-874719-09-0

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Website of the FONA framework program of the BMBF. Retrieved December 16, 2013 .
  2. ↑ Kates, Robert W., William C. Clark et al .: Sustainability Science , 2001. Science 292: 641-2. longer version (pdf; 207 kB) ; accessed on January 1, 2018.
  3. ↑ MA International Business and Sustainability. Retrieved August 12, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Bachelor and master theses as well as special courses. In: digital-nachhaltigkeit.unibe.ch. University of Bern , accessed on October 14, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Federal Ministry of Education & Research: Overview d. Actors Research for Sustainable Development (FONA) ( Memento from August 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ^ Goethe-Institut: Overview of research institutes in the field of sustainability
  7. ↑ Home. In: Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies IASS Potsdam. Retrieved January 4, 2020 .