Climate researchers push for nature-inclusive sustainability planning
A new framework argues that sustainability transition strategies must treat ecosystems as active participants, not passive backdrops. The shift could reshape how companies and governments design climate and environmental policies—and force a reckoning with how industrial solutions actually interact with natural systems.
Originaltitel: Towards a socio-techno-ecological approach to sustainability transitions
<p>The literature on sustainability transitions departs from the idea that social and environmental problems call for transformative change but employs socio-technical frameworks that treat nature as a passive context. In this paper, we argue that transitions research should adopt a socio-techno-ecological approach that accounts better for ecological elements. To take steps in this direction, we review adjacent literature that engages with socio-ecological and socio-techno-ecological systems concepts. Based on insights from this literature, we discuss emerging topics for the development of a socio-techno-ecological transitions framework. Our contribution paves the way for further theoretical development and empirical validation by motivating, contextualizing and sketching a roadmap towards a more comprehensive approach to transitions research.</p>