“What Kind of a Science is Sustainability Science?” An Evidence-Based Reexamination

Xuening Fang,Qun Ma,Bingbing Zhou,Jianguo Wu,Xingyue Tu

doi:10.3390/su10051478

Xuening Fang, Qun Ma + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051478

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Abstract

Sustainability science (SS), rooted in multiple disciplines, has been developing rapidly during the last two decades and become a well-recognized new field of study. However, the “identity” of SS remains unclear. Therefore, this study was intended to help synthesize the key characteristics of SS by revisiting the question raised by the leading sustainability scientist, Robert Kates (2011): “What kind of a science is sustainability science?” Specifically, we reviewed the literature in SS, and developed a synthesis of definitions and core research questions of SS, using multiple methods including change-point detection, word cloud visualization, and content and thematic analyses. Our study has produced several main findings: (1) the development of SS exhibited an S-shaped growth pattern, with an exponential growth phase through to 2012, and a asymptotic development phase afterwards; (2) ten key elements from the existing definitions of SS were identified, of which understanding “human–environment interactions” and “use-inspired” were most prominent; and (3) sixteen core questions in SS were derived from the literature. We further proposed an eight-theme framework of SS to help understand how the sixteen questions are related to each other. We argue that SS is coming of age, but more integrative and concerted efforts are still needed to further consolidate its identity by developing a coherent and rigorous scientific core.

Highlights

A grand challenge of our time is to meet the increasing needs of a growing population while protecting the environment, which is widely known as the sustainability challenge [1,2,3]
During the past 20 years, sustainability science (SS) has grown rapidly from an emerging field of research with fewer than five articles per year in the late 1990s to an inclusive and fast developing scientific field with more than 100 articles produced per year since 2015 (Figure 2A)
Based on a comprehensive literature analysis, we conclude that understanding human–environment interactions, use-inspired, inter- and trans- disciplinarity, and linking knowledge to action are the most emphasized features that give SS a unique academic niche

Summary

Introduction

A grand challenge of our time is to meet the increasing needs of a growing population while protecting the environment, which is widely known as the sustainability challenge [1,2,3]. During the last half century, efforts from various disciplines to help achieve sustainability have evolved into a new field of research: sustainability science (SS) [4]. Graduate students often ask how SS differs from and relates to other fields of study [6]; at conferences and in publications, sustainability scholars explore how to better integrate SS with other disciplines which each employ different jargons and assumptions [7]; in industries and governmental agencies, decision makers and resource managers are eager to know how SS can guide sustainability practice and actions. Before tackling the sustainability challenge of our time, SS must first address a challenge of its own—communicating what kind of a science it is

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