Sustainability Science Research Research Articles

How is who: evidence as clues for action in participatory sustainability science and public health research

Participatory and collaborative approaches in sustainability science and public health research contribute to co-producing evidence that can support interventions by involving diverse societal actors that range from individual citizens to entire communities. However, existing philosophical accounts of evidence are not adequate to deal with the kind of evidence generated and used in such approaches. In this paper, we present an account of evidence as clues for action through participatory and collaborative research inspired by philosopher Susan Haack’s theory of evidence. Differently from most accounts of evidence for use in policies and interventions, our account combines action-oriented (the how) and actors-oriented (the who) considerations. We build on Haack’s theory and on the analysis of examples of participatory and collaborative research in sustainability science and public health research to flesh out six procedural criteria for the generation and mobilization of evidence in and from participatory research. Action-oriented criteria invite to look at evidence from a (a) foundherentist, (b) gradational and (c) quasi-holistic perspective. Actors-oriented criteria point out that evidence generation and utilization are (d) social, (e) personal, and (f) embedded. We suggest that these criteria may reinforce participatory and collaborative approaches to evidence co-production when addressing complex problems in sustainability science and public health allowing for the generation of a kind of practical objectivity.

Building multi-system nexuses in low-carbon transitions: Conflicts and asymmetric adjustments in Norwegian ferry electrification.

While nexus research in sustainability science has investigated the consequences of connected systems, it has paid less attention to the processes of building nexuses which is becoming increasingly important in low-carbon transitions because these often require the creation of new connections between multiple consumption-production systems. Building on multi-system research in the sustainability transitions literature, this paper introduces a conceptual system interface perspective on nexus-building which considers four dimensions (technology, actors, institutions, and resources) that are useful for analyzing nexus-building dynamics. We apply our framework to the case of electrification of ferries in Norway which requires the building of a new interface between the electricity system and the maritime transport system. The case study shows that the system interface was initially characterized by conflicts and tensions in all dimensions, which actors then attempted to resolve through cross-system intermediation and adjustment activities. These activities were asymmetrical because of differences in external pressures, urgency, unequal power relationships, and different degrees of interest in cross-system nexus building. Because important tensions remained unresolved, ferry actors started implementing sub-optimal workaround solutions in the diffusion phase.

Shocks, institutional change, and sustainability transitions.

The role of exogenous shocks in influencing transition processes is of significant interest to a wide variety of research in sustainability science (SS). Such events disturb and interrupt path-dependent processes in sociotechnical systems. Sometimes this can lead to radical departures from existing trajectories, while at other times existing systems can be more resilient, adapting, or reconfiguring in response to a shock. In this paper, we explore the role that exogenous shocks can have on institutional change. The sustainability transition literature, as shaped by the multilevel perspective, has usually focused on shocks as windows of opportunity (WoO) where alternatives can break through due to strategic action. We offer the perspective of imprinting, which places primary attention on shocks leading to immediate and irreversible institutional change with long-term consequences. The usefulness of this concept is explored by examining the impact of two major shocks to the energy system: World War II and the 1973 oil crisis. It is concluded that the imprinting concept enables analysis that is attentive to how the underlying institutions of a system can be rapidly and deeply altered by the dynamics of exogenous shocks. It is argued that imprinting is an important complementary concept, next to windows of opportunity, for sustainability science research aiming to understand the period of turbulence we are living through.

First known extinct feathertail possums (Acrobatidae, Marsupialia): palaeobiodiversity, phylogenetics, palaeoecology and palaeogeography

Four new fossil feathertail possum species (Marsupialia, Diprotodontia, Phalangerida, Petauroidea, Acrobatidae) are described from late Oligocene to middle Miocene fossil deposits in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland. They are the first pre-Pleistocene fossil representatives of this family to be described. Two species are referred to the modern genus Acrobates and two to the modern genus Distoechurus. These species are distinguished from each other and from the living Distoechurus pennatus and Acrobates pygmaeus on the basis of qualitative and quantitative characters of the first lower molar (m1), which is the only tooth known for all four fossil species. Fortunately, m1 is morphologically the most variable tooth in the cheektooth row of acrobatids, and it exhibits numerous genus- and species-specific features. Phylogenetic analyses based on dental characters strongly support monophyly of Acrobatidae relative to other petauroids, as well as providing relatively strong support for reciprocal monophyly of Acrobates and Distoechurus, including the newly described fossil members of these genera. Recognition of species of Acrobates and Distoechurus in these fossil deposits is broadly congruent with recent estimates for the time of divergence of the two modern genera based on molecular data, and also provides an additional fossil calibration point for future studies of marsupial divergence times. These fossil species provide new insights into the biogeographical and ecological history of this enigmatic family of small possums, specifically that the oldest known species of Acrobates occurred in closed forest environments (in contrast to the living species, A. pygmaeus and Acrobates frontalis, which today inhabit open sclerophyll forests and woodlands) and that Distoechurus appears to have originated in Australia, only subsequently dispersing to New Guinea before becoming extinct in its Australian homeland.Prudence R. Fabian [pruefabian@gmail.com], Michael Archer [m.archer@unsw.edu.au], Suzanne J. Hand [s.hand@unsw.edu.au], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; Robin M.D. Beck [r.m.d.beck@salford.ac.uk], School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Manchester M5 4WT, UK.

Emotions and the Climate Crisis: A Research Agenda for an Affective Sustainability Science

Climate change and loss of biodiversity are advancing rapidly, making a transition to a more sustainable society one of the most pressing tasks facing humanity. This special section shines a spotlight on how emotions shape and are shaped by the climate and biodiversity crises, and how they intersect with pro-environmental behavior. To this end, leading sustainability scholars and policy makers articulate what they believe are the most important questions that emotion research should answer to support a sustainable societal transition. Here, we first provide an overview of the articles in the special section, which include a wide range of topics including global analyses of distress related to climate change and biodiversity loss, case studies on emotional experiences toward locally specific instances of climate change consequences and adaptation or mitigation efforts, discussions of the motivational functions of emotions and their potential to drive pro-environmental action, and reflections on how we can make affective science more salient to policy makers in the sustainability domain. In the second part, we summarize the emerging overarching themes that point to promising research objectives and questions for affective sustainability science. Finally, we discuss how the study of sustainability can also be beneficial for the affective sciences. Our hope is that this special section will put sustainability on the research agenda of emotion researchers and stimulate more research in affective sustainability science.

Global knowledge–action networks at the frontlines of sustainability: Insights from five decades of science for action in UNESCO's World Network of biosphere reserves

Abstract Generating actionable knowledge to meet current sustainability challenges requires unprecedented collaboration across scales, geographies, cultures and knowledges. Intergovernmental programmes and place‐based knowledge–action networks have much potential to mobilize sustainability transformation. Although many research fields have benefited from research networks and comparative sites, the potential of site‐based research networks for generating knowledge at the people–nature interface has yet to be fully explored. This article presents the World Network of biosphere reserves (WNBR) of UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme, intentionally established for generating actionable knowledge through comparative sites envisioned as learning spaces for sustainable development. Drawing on experiences over five decades, and we offer six categories of insights. Our intent is to share the story of this network widely, distil the learnings from the network to enhance its potential to support both knowledge co‐production and collaborative action for sustainability and inform wider efforts to establish place‐based sustainability networks aimed at improving human–environment relations through knowledge and action. The WNBR has generated insights on the challenges of creating and supporting an international and inter‐governmental sustainability network to generate and mobilize place‐based interdisciplinary knowledge in the long term. Despite the challenges, site‐ and place‐based research facilitated by this network has been fundamental in creating space for sustainability science, knowledge co‐production and transdisciplinary research at the human–nature interface. We share insights on pathways to the implementation of global sustainability agendas through local networks, and the role of research in supporting learning and experimentation in local sites as they work to adapt global sustainability goals. Research in the WNBR has generated deeper understanding on social–ecological complexity and resilience in place‐based sustainability initiatives, and how collaborative platforms might facilitate collective action across landscapes. The network continues to offer a fundamental learning space on operationalizing pluralistic approaches to biodiversity conservation, for example, through its focus on biocultural diversity, offering a key opportunity for the implementation of the post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. We conclude by arguing that WNBR, and similar place‐based knowledge–action networks, can support interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research related to human–nature relationships and provide opportunities for comparative research that may yield more explanatory power than individual case studies. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Trends and Interdisciplinarity Integration in the Development of the Research in the Fields of Sustainable, Healthy and Digital Buildings and Cities

This article provides a thorough bibliometric analysis of significant research trends in sustainability from 1988 until now, focusing on sustainable, healthy and digital buildings and cities. It exemplifies how research emphasis has shifted from explicit ecological investigations to nature-based solutions and city greening programs, with a rising interest in the many responsibilities of urban stakeholders in attaining sustainability. Despite weak integration at the literature and author cooperation levels, the “healthy buildings and cities” topic indicates promise for multidisciplinary integration. The “digital buildings and cities” topic, on the other hand, presents a more particular concern with strong cross-cluster collaboration and significant integration possibilities. Global relevance has been demonstrated through research on “sustainable buildings and cities,” mainly in journal papers. This topic’s study clusters show remarkable synergy across management, transportation, ecology, remote sensing and environmental engineering domains. In comparison to “healthy buildings and cities” and “digital buildings and cities” topics, the study of “sustainable buildings and cities” demonstrates a deeper level of interdisciplinary integration, highlighting the significant potential for further exploration within sustainability science research. This study emphasizes the ongoing worldwide relevance of sustainability science research and identifies significant opportunities for multidisciplinary integration across the investigated subjects.

Preface

Environmental sustainability is a complex issue, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic is case in point. Pandemic is a complex problem arising because of the decoupling of human-nature interactions. There are various problems associated with the pandemic, not only health, but also ecology, economy, food security, education, human rights and justice. The complex dynamics of life with high mobility suddenly come to a halt throughout the world, including Indonesia. The various human activities that endlessly change and put high pressure on nature, suddenly stop and humans are forced to think and make drastic changes. For a moment the universe was in silence, air pollution stopped, land clearing stopped, development activities on the coast and small islands halted, human life and the economy slowed down. Is this a response from the universe to our treatment which has been less environmentally friendly? Can this phenomenon open up opportunities for sustainability? Can this phenomenon solve the complex problems that threaten the sustainability of the universe? These various questions require a transdisciplinary approach from various disciplines, to be able to find a new balance it calls as “the new normal”. The 3rd International Symposium on Transdisciplinary Approach for Knowledge Co-creation in Sustainability (ISTAKCOS 3) is a platform where we will explore new ways and new ideas on understanding complexity and environmental sustainability. It provides insights into the implementation of transdisciplinary and sustainability science in solving the problems of increasingly complex development issues.The 3rd International Symposium on Transdisciplinary Approach for Knowledge Co_Creation in Sustainability (ISTAKCOS) was held online by the Center for Transdisciplinary and Sustainability Sciences – CTSS, IPB University Bogor, Indonesia on September 1-2, 2022. This activity aims to provide a forum for sharing knowledge, research, and experiences in the application of transdisciplinary science and sustainability science; to support the development of international collaborative research in transdisciplinary fields and sustainability science, and seek cooperation in the development of sustainability science. This event encourages and facilitates networking among academicians, researchers, policy makers, university students, and civil society activist all over the world, and mediates publications in reputable publishers. There were two different sessions in the Symposium, Plenary session (with Keynote and Invited Speakers), and 8 Parallel sessions. Various topics were discussed at this conference, especially in: (1) Forest, Agricultural, and Marine Resources Management, (2) The Role of Socio-Cultural Dynamics for Sustainability, (3) Sustainability and Faith-based Environmentalism, (4) Sustainability on Water Resources Governance and Management, (5) Circular Economy and Sustainable Cities, (6) Post-Modernism and the Fate of Traditional Knowledge. Participants of the ISTAKCOS are coming from various groups of the professions, academia (professors, students, researchers), policy makers, and civil society activists.The objectives of this symposium are as follows: (1) Providing a global forum for diverse groups of researchers and any stakeholders to exchange their knowledge and experiences in the application of transdisciplinarity and sustainability sciences, as well as solving the problems of increasingly complex development issues to achieve SDGs; (2) Advancing the initiative of joint research on transdisciplinarity and sustainability sciences (3). Amplifying a collaborative action and best practice across the countries on sustainability sciences.All full papers presented in this event are very insightful and are needed to be disseminated for a broader audience. We thank all Editors, Reviewers, Assistants and IOP Management to work hand in hand to publish all manuscript in due time.List of Keynote and Invited Speaker, Conference Chair, Editorial Board, Reviewer List and Assistant Editors are available in the pdf.

Investigating gut contents of the leptocleidian plesiosaur Umoonasaurus demoscyllus using micro-CT imaging

The holotype of Umoonasaurus demoscyllus (AM F.99374) is one of the most complete plesiosaur skeletons ever discovered in Australia. It preserves a gastric mass in the pectoral girdle region that has not yet been documented in detail. Here, we use high resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to image the gut contents of this specimen. These comprise 17 vertebrae from an unidentified teleost, together with at least 60 rounded gastroliths averaging about 5 mm in maximum length. Our study demonstrates the potential for 3D tomographic imaging to investigate Mesozoic marine reptile diets and ecology. Joshua M. White [Joshua.white@anu.edu.au], Research School of Physics, Department of Materials Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia. Aleese Barron [aleese.barron@anu.edu.au], Research School of Physics, Department of Materials Physics, Australian National University, Canberra ACT, 2601, Australia; School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Banks Building, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Matthew R. McCurry [matthew.mccurry@austmus.gov.au], Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia; Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales 2052, Australia; Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA. Tim Denham [tim.denham@anu.edu.au], School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Banks Building, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

A new Early–Middle Miocene phalangerid (Marsupialia: Phalangeridae) from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, northwestern Queensland

Archerus johntoniae represents a new genus and species of phalangerid possum from the Early to Middle Miocene of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland. The new taxon is the tenth extinct phalangerid species to be described and is the seventh species recognized from the diverse Riversleigh fossil assemblages. A. johntoniae has its closest morphometric affinities (such as relatively short molars, narrow premolars, an anteriorly narrow upper first molar, and posteriorly narrow fourth molars) with trichosurine and stem phalangerids. Morphologically, A. johntoniae has similarities to phalangerines and trichosurines, but is most dissimilar to other fossil phalangerids. The new species is one of the smallest (ca 1.3 kg) phalangerids known and may have occupied Early and Middle Miocene frugivorous/insectivorous niches demarcated from other phalangerids by body size and diet. A. johntoniae is one of a minority of Riversleigh species to have survived a significant decline in marsupial diversity associated with a rapid spike in global temperature at the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum.Troy Myers [t.myers@unsw.edu.au], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; Kirsten Crosby [Kirsten.crosby@gmail.com], GHD Group Pty Ltd, Level 15, 133 Castlereagh St, Sydney, NSW, 2000 (currently), School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

A new Eocene species of presbyornithid (Aves, Anseriformes) from Murgon, Australia

The taxa found in an Eocene deposit, near Murgon, Queensland, the only pre-Oligocene Paleogene site recording a terrestrial vertebrate fauna from Australia, are very significant for the insight they provide concerning the evolution of the Australian biota. Here we resolve the identity of fossils previously referred to the Graculavidae, waterbirds of then unresolved affinities. We taxonomically describe the first bird to be named from this fauna, Murgonornis archeri gen. et sp. nov., Presbyornithidae. Our findings reveal that presbyornithids were widespread globally in the earliest Eocene, and that this family had a history on Australia from at least 55 Ma until ca. 24 Ma, when they disappear from the fossil record.Trevor H. Worthy [trevor.worthy@flinders.edu.au], College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, SA, Australia; Vanesa L. De Pietri [vanesa.depietri@canterbury.ac.nz], University of Canterbury, School of Earth and Environment, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand; R. Paul Scofield [pscofield@canterburymuseum.com], Canterbury Museum, 11 Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch 8013, New Zealand; Suzanne J. Hand [s.hand@unsw.edu.au], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

Pursuitworthiness in urgent research: Lessons on well-ordered science from sustainability science

Urgent and complex sustainability problems are redefining the conditions for success of science and instigating novel methodologies and new roles of values in science. At the same time, sustainability research, mostly under the umbrella of sustainability science, is abundant with dubious methods and dubious aims of research, contributing to the already widespread crisis of the quality control mechanisms in science. This paper identifies some of these dubious methods (non-systemic thinking and specific contractual funding mechanisms) and dubious aims (unclear aims and undisclosed value assumptions), and argues that, with proper expert evaluation, it is possible to predict the type of content (and the scientific value) these forms of research will result in. Identifying the forms of research with predictably dubious results has practical implications for doing and evaluating research in sustainability science, on the one hand, while on the other, it contributes to the discussion on the ideal of well-ordered science by concretizing the ideal and developing a criterion for ordering science in the case of sustainability science. Finally, the paper provides a connection of sustainability science with the meta-science discussions on the crisis in the quality of science and on science organization, what at the same time more closely connects the philosophy of science with problems encountered in research practice tackling urgent, complex and value-laden problems.

A Critical Realist Approach to Reflexivity in Sustainability Research

In sustainability science, the research is expected to go beyond disciplinary thinking and incorporate different concepts, methods, and data to explore nature–society interactions at different levels and scales. In realizing these expectations, reflexivity is often noted as an influential factor in inter- and transdisciplinary research processes in sustainability science, wherein researchers reflect on their assumptions, judgments, roles, and positions in the research processes, rethink their ways of knowing and doing, and open up new possibilities for actions. Despite the growing literature on the notion of reflexivity in sustainability science and how it emerges during the research processes, the debates and discussions are often based on lessons learned from sustainability research projects, drawing on individuals’ experiences and motivations. This paper aims to grapple with the notion of reflexivity from a structural point of view, which is less discussed in sustainability research, by drawing on critical realist literature. The paper first presents how reflexivity is understood and analyzed in inter- and transdisciplinary research processes by reviewing the recent studies of reflexivity in sustainability science research. Second, it highlights the knowledge gaps and the need to engage with an alternative view on reflexivity offered by Margaret Archer, one of the leading critical realist scholars. Third, it takes Archer’s framework on reflexivity into sustainability research to explain the causal mechanisms impeding the emergence of meta-reflexivity in the process of knowledge integration and production in contemporary marketized and managerialized universities. Finally, the paper argues that in establishing practices (modus vivendi) that could address the structural barriers (not observable challenges), we need collective agency. To this end, it discusses different collective initiatives and courses of action that could lead to the emergence of collective agency, capable of tackling the cultural and material barriers to reflexivity.

Two new marsupial lion taxa (Marsupialia, Thylacoleonidae) from the early and Middle Miocene of Australia

Five species of marsupial lions (Thylacoleonidae) have been documented from the Oligo-Miocene freshwater limestone deposits of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in northwestern Queensland, significantly altering understanding of the evolution of this extinct family. This paper presents a further two new thylacoleonid taxa from this fossil-rich region: Lekaneleo myersi sp. nov., from middle Miocene deposits, and Enigmaleo archeri gen. et sp. nov., from early Miocene deposits. Lekaneleo myersi is described from a dentary, partial maxilla and isolated teeth. It is approximately 10% larger in most linear dental dimensions than its sister taxon L. roskellyae. In this feature, it echoes the morphological cline shown by members of the Wakaleo lineage of marsupial lions, which increase their size through the Miocene. Although the first upper molar of L. myersi exhibits a tall metacone, a feature normally characteristic of species of Wakaleo, other features of its upper and lower molars support its attribution to Lekaneleo. Enigmaleo archeri gen. et sp. nov. is described from an isolated upper third premolar. This species is smaller than those of Lekaneleo, but larger than Microleo attenboroughi, the smallest known thylacoleonid. This premolar exhibits an intriguing combination of features, some of which are seen in Microleo and others in Lekaneleo, and on this basis is attributed to a new genus. It is the fourth thylacoleonid taxon from early Miocene deposits, making this time the most diverse period in thylacoleonid evolution. Phylogenetic analysis of 53 dental and 16 cranial characters recovers Enigmaleo as the sister taxon to Microleo, with this clade forming the sister group to the rest of the thylacoleonid family; however, the relationships among species of Lekaneleo was not resolved in this analysis. Comparisons of the morphology of the upper third premolars of all thylacoleonid taxa indicate that the evolution of the Thylacoleo form is more likely to have been derived from a Microleo or Enigmaleo form, and on this basis it is postulated that one of these groups may have provided the ancestor of the Thylacoleo lineage.Anna Gillespie [a.gillespie@unsw.edu.au], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological Earth and Environmental Science. University of New South Wales 2052, Sydney, Australia.

Ecosystem Services Research in Green Sustainable Science and Technology Field: Trends, Issues, and Future Directions

Ecosystem services (ES) has an important place in sustainability science research as a powerful bridge between society and nature. Based on 513 papers correlated with ES in the field of green sustainable science and technology (GSST) indexed in ISI Web of Science database, we employ the bibliometric methods to analyze the disciplinary co-occurrence, keyword co-occurrence, partnerships, publication characteristics, co-citation, research themes, and transformative potential of these papers. The results show that innovation in research themes of the ES research in the GSST field is increasing rapidly in 2015–2018, while innovation in research themes is decreasing in 2018–2021. Moreover, keyword co-occurrence analysis indicates that the hot topics of previous research with respect to “environmental service”, “capacity”, “perception”, “landscape”, “forest management”, “carbon sequestration”, “contingent valuation”, and “sustainable development”. Recent hotspots include “blue carbon”, “environmental impact”, “coastal”, “ecosystem services mapping”, and “use/land cover change”. Finally, the cluster analysis of co-cited references abstract thirteen largest clusters. The top six clusters are “mapping ecosystem service”, “spatial gradient difference”, “ecosystem service value”, “water-related ecosystem service”, “linking forest landscape model”, and “culture ecosystem service”. Moreover, the integration of spatial, value, environmental, and sociocultural dimensions may help to develop supportive policies, which is a future direction of ES research in the GSST field.

New cicada fossils from Australia (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae) with remarkably detailed wing surface nanostructure

Australia hosts the richest diversity of extant cicadas in the world, but a scarcity of fossils means that little is known about their evolutionary history on the continent. Here we describe the first fossilized Cicadidae from Australia. Laopsaltria ferruginosa gen. et sp. nov., Burbungoides gulgongensis gen. et sp. nov. and Tithopsaltria titan gen. et sp. nov. were all found at McGraths Flat near Gulgong, New South Wales, a recently discovered Miocene Lagerstätte. These cicada fossils preserve remarkable detail, including setae and wing membrane surface structures. Wing size varies considerably between the three newly described species and, in T. titan sp. nov., reaches a maximum size beyond what is known from extant Australian cicadas (or any other known cicada fossil), indicating a disparate cicada fauna in Australia’s Miocene rainforests. Max Moulds [ msmoulds@gmail.com ], Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia. Michael Frese [ michael.frese@canberra.edu.au ], Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Canberra, Bruce, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia; Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Health and Biosecurity, Black Mountain, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia. M. R. McCurry [ matthew.mccurry@australian.museum ], Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia; Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia; Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia 20560, USA.

AudaCITY: A Capacity-Building Research Method for Urban Sustainability Transformation

The scale and urgency of sustainability problems the world over has led to calls for sustainability transformations in cities, regions, and countries. Such calls for transformation are underlain by a persistent knowledge-to-action gap between scientific knowledge production, policy, and practice. To rise to the challenges of sustainability and resilience, municipal administrators need to set evidence-based and ambitious sustainability targets and develop strategies to achieve them. Simultaneously, transdisciplinary sustainability science researchers need to generate scientific knowledge to further enable cities along pathways of transformation. This paper details a collaborative backcasting game, AudaCITY, developed to build transformative capacity in city administrations while also generating deep contextual knowledge to inform a transformative sustainability science research agenda. We present AudaCITY's key features, potential applications and adaptations, and exemplary outputs and outcomes for cities and researchers. We conclude with recommendations for adopting and adapting AudaCITY for use in action-oriented and transformational sustainability science and capacity building.

Science with society: Challenges of early‐stage researchers engaging with transdisciplinary research in sustainability science

AbstractThe ongoing social and ecological crises create urgency in academia and elsewhere to devise actionable problem‐solving knowledge to tackle sustainability challenges. Transdisciplinary research (TDR) represents a problem‐solving methodology for sustainability problems. TDR requires researchers to get out in the real world and engage with other societal actors to jointly produce such problem‐solving knowledge for research to have a societal impact. This radical process of doing “science with society” instead of “science for society” is becoming more urgent and relevant. However, a transdisciplinary (TD) researcher faces challenges: often, institutions have limited readiness for facilitating TDR, a researcher has to juggle the roles of an academic and changemaker simultaneously and needs new ways of doing science. The research process requires enough manoeuvring space to incorporate reflexivity, adaptiveness, and emergence based on the research context. The research uses case studies, interviews, reflections, and document analysis from two finished and one ongoing TDR PhDs in sustainability science and connects them with the TD literature. Based on previous and ongoing TDR by early‐stage researchers (ESRs), this article identifies and discusses six TDR challenges ESRs in sustainability sciences might face.

Environmental footprints of meat, milk and egg production in Argentina

The livestock sector contributes significantly to the resource-use and pollution from food systems. Therefore, assessing the current and future environmental impacts of livestock production under different systems in different countries, has become an important area of solution-oriented research in sustainability science. We performed a cradle-to-farm-gate life cycle analysis to quantify biomass consumption (edible and non-edible for humans), land occupation (including cropland), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the use of fossil energy, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides related to beef, chicken, pork, milk and egg production in Argentina, a major producer and consumer of animal foods. We found that in 2016 the livestock sector consumed a total of 157 Mt of biomass (87% non edible for humans), required 66.2 Mha of land, of which 7.01 Mha were cropland, and emitted 157 Mt CO2-eq to the atmosphere (46 Mt CO2-eq from land-use change). In addition, 83 PJ of fossil energy were used, including that for the manufacture of 534 kt of N–P–S synthetic fertilizers and 59.6 kt of active ingredients of synthetic pesticides. However, the relative participation of each livestock group on the total environmental footprints was different, being beef the dominant one for all the indicators. When footprints per unit of protein weight were analyzed, all products had similar values regarding edible-biomass consumption, fossil energy use and pesticide use. However, delivering proteins from beef required between 12 and 28 times more land, and emits 6–34 more GHGs than the rest of the livestock products. The options for reducing such impacts are briefly discussed, emphasizing that solutions have to be tailored based on the management traditions and associated with the country's high ecological heterogeneity.

Two new species of the genus Gumardee (Marsupialia, Macropodiformes) reveal the repeated evolution of bilophodonty in kangaroos

Two new species of the fossil macropodiform genus Gumardee are described that provide insights into the evolution of early kangaroos. Gumardee has a continuous record from the late Oligocene to the early Miocene and is likely to have become extinct before the middle Miocene. The two new species are the most derived members of the genus. They exhibit some dental size variation, especially in P3/p3, which we interpret as evidence for sexual dimorphism. From the stratigraphically oldest species of Gumardee to the youngest, the dental morphology also shows a progression from bunolophodont to increasingly bilophodont. This trend appears to have occurred in at least four different lineages of macropodoids; however, a fully bilophodont condition was achieved only twice, once in the ancestral lineage of balbarids, and again in ancestral radiation of modern macropodids as implied by the species of Gumardee. Kenny. J. Travouillon [Kenny.Travouillon@museum.wa.gov.au], Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, WA, 6986 Australia; Kaylene Butler [kaylene.butler@uqconnect.edu.au ], School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Michael Archer [m.archer@unsw.edu.au ], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, New South Wales 2052, Australia; Suzanne J. Hand [s.hand@unsw.edu.au ], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, New South Wales 2052, Australia.