Chapter 6: Integrating Knowledge and Action Scott Kaminski ME / 9 / 2005

Knowledge and Action Means Definition: combining incomplete knowledge and experimental action into programs that lead to adaptive management and social learning Target Stresses : environmental threats that arise form “multiple, cumulative, and interactive stresses and [are] driven by a variety of human activities.” Target Area: place-based research since the above stresses are shaped by the “physical, ecological, and social interactions at particular places” Goals: To approach research in a structured manner, and not just focus on individual problems, so that opportunities to advance sustainability goals are not missed and sustainability is not compromised due to surprises “much of what societies need to know will only emerge in the course of applying knowledge to actions.”

Priorities for Research 1.Develop a research framework for the science of sustainable development that integrates global and local perspectives to shape a place-based understanding of the interactions between environment and society. Intellectual Foundations Biological Geophysical Social Technological Integrative Science Combine above fields Combine regions Place Based Science Critical Issues Diversity vs. Manageability

2.Initiate focused research programs on a small set of understudied questions that are central to a deeper understanding of those interactions. Critical Loads and Carrying Capacities –“look for limits beyond which those systems should not be pushed.” Understanding and Monitoring the Transitions –that shape the “paths to the future” Consumption Patterns: Determinants and Alternatives –address fundamental resources (energy and materials), alternative consumption patterns, and identify different types of consumption Incentives for Technical Innovation –create incentives to invent objects/processes that provide “more human value with less environmental damage” across geographic boundaries and generations Institutions for Navigating a Transition Toward Sustainability Indicator Systems –information feedback to assess progress and make adjustments Assessment Tools –develop reference scenarios internationally, integrate global perspective and local action

3.Promote better utilization of existing tools and processes for linking knowledge to action in pursuit of a sustainability transition. Linking Long-Term Research Programs to Societal Goals –funding research that is important in the long run, but has few immediate benefits –ex. monitoring large geographic areas Integrating Global, National, and Local Institutions into Effective Research Systems –linking local end-users to global research community –fit local actions into global effort towards sustainability Linking Academia, Government, and the Private Sector in Collaborative Partnerships –incentives for integration of knowledge across nations, sectors, and all other current boundaries Integrating Disciplinary Knowledge in Place-Based, Problem-Driven Research Efforts –collaboration across organizations to solve problem at a specific place

Priorities for Action Human population: Accelerate current trends in fertility reduction –problems: “unmet need for contraception, the still high desired family size, and the large number of young people entering reproductive age” –goal: 10% reduction in expected population of 2050 Cities: Accommodate an Expected Doubling to Tripling of the Urban System in a Habitable, Efficient, and Environmentally Friendly Manner –problem: transition from 3 million to 7 million urbanites –goal: “achieve settlement patterns that make efficient use of land and infrastructure and impose reduced burdens on material and energy use, while providing satisfactory levels of living.” Agricultural Production: Reverse the Declining Trends in Agricultural production in Africa; Sustain Historic Trends Elsewhere –problem: Sub-Saharan Africa is only place “where population growth has outpaced growth in agricultural production.” –goal: “reverse declining trends in agricultural production in Africa while sustaining historic trends elsewhere.” Industry and energy: Accelerate improvements in the use of energy and materials –problem: the creation of materials and energy puts a large burden on the environment –goal: hasten the rate of increase in the efficiency of energy and materials

Living Resources: Restore Degraded Ecosystems While Conserving Diversity Elsewhere –problem: species, ecosystems, and their services are critical for life support systems, the economy, and social aspects of human existence –goal: “restore degraded systems while conserving diversity elsewhere” with a focus on areas dominated by humans Integrative Interactions: Water, Atmosphere and Climate, Species and Ecosystems problem: improvements in individual sectors help toward sustainability, but do not guarantee it –goal: increase studies that integrate several disciplines from the start Conclusion To succeed we need: integration of knowledge from all sources (natural and social sciences, engineering, management, basic research, policy experiments, and technology) collaboration across scales, nations, and sectors