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Future-Oriented Methodologies for Sustainability

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Handbook of Sustainability Science in the Future

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Abstract

Both in the social and natural sciences, methodologies have been developed to deal with relatively stable conditions, where findings can be validated based on past experiences. At a time when both social and natural phenomena are rapidly changing, new approaches are urgently needed to produce knowledge for systemic change, inform high-stakes decisions, and enable sustainability transitions in the face of great uncertainty. To develop methodologies better suited to address the urgent and existential challenges of our times, fundamental assumptions need to be reexamined, while the adequacy of current approaches and scientific practices must be reassessed. This chapter outlines some of the key features required from future-oriented methodologies, including creativity, agility, and collaborative boundary-crossing explorative approaches, as well as conditions that may support or impede methodological development and innovation.

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  1. Researcher at the Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Helen Avery

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  1. Helen Avery
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  1. FTZ-ALS, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Department of Business and Law, University of Milano-Bicocca, MILANO, Milano, Italy

    Federica Doni

  4. University of Passo Fundo, Sao Jose, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Amanda Lange Salvia

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Avery, H. (2022). Future-Oriented Methodologies for Sustainability. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Doni, F., Salvia, A.L. (eds) Handbook of Sustainability Science in the Future. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68074-9_34-1

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