Four misunderstandings about sustainability and transitions

Abstract

‘Sustainability’ and ‘transition’ are popular and often-used concepts. However, this omnipresence also leads to a diversity of interpretations and misunderstandings about their meaning. This chapter examines four common misunderstandings about sustainable development and sustainability transitions: (1) ‘Sustainability is about ecological concerns’; (2) ‘We need a waterproof and objective definition of sustainability’; (3) ‘Every change leads to a transition’; and (4) ‘We can easily plan and manage sustainability transitions’. The authors argue that sustainability is neither an objective standard nor an arbitrary concept, and that it is a broad political notion (entailing much more than only environmental concerns). Through a brief introduction to the multi-level perspective on sustainability transitions, they also indicate that building a more sustainable world is a very complex process that requires fundamental changes in socio-technical regimes. Transitions go hand in hand with resistance, power struggles and questions of legitimacy. Consequently, attempts at governing sustainability transitions are also messy and deeply political.