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Science with Society in the Anthropocene

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Abstract

Interdisciplinary scientific knowledge is necessary but not sufficient when it comes to addressing sustainable transformations, as science increasingly has to deal with normative and value-related issues. A systems perspective on coupled human–environmental systems (HES) helps to address the inherent complexities. Additionally, a thorough interaction between science and society (i.e., transdisciplinarity = TD) is necessary, as sustainable transitions are sometimes contested and can cause conflicts. In order to navigate complexities regarding the delicate interaction of scientific research with societal decisions these processes must proceed in a structured and functional way. We thus propose HES-based TD processes to provide a basis for reorganizing science in coming decades.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. There are several other notions of science–society interaction, for instance action research, consultancy, and participatory research; for an overview cf. chapter 15 of Scholz (2011).

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Ralf Seppelt and Ulli Vilsmaier for comments on an earlier draft and Sandro Bösch for developing the figures in their current form. We thank Heather Murray for English language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Environmental Decisions (IED), ETH Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 22, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland

    Roman Seidl, Michael Stauffacher, Pius Krütli, Quang Bao Le, Andy Spörri, Grégoire Meylan, Corinne Moser & Monica Berger González

  2. Südzucker AG , Gottlieb-Daimler-Str. 12, 68165, Mannheim, Germany

    Fridolin Simon Brand

  3. Ampèrestrasse 3, 8037, Zurich, Switzerland

    Roland Werner Scholz

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  1. Roman Seidl
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Correspondence to Roman Seidl.

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Seidl, R., Brand, F.S., Stauffacher, M. et al. Science with Society in the Anthropocene. AMBIO 42, 5–12 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-012-0363-5

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