Sustainability Science or Sciences?

This chapter portrays the emergence of sustainability science as resulting from the encounter of various disciplines from natural and social sciences and humanities as applied to the solution of complex issues of practical and political relevance. More emphatically, the chapter examines the ongoing and emerging disputes between perspectives and approaches to this science. The main current divergence is between the substantialist approach and the relational approach. The former is the modern approach and largely relates to the balance of the importance given to each of the three sustainability pillars: social, economic and environmental. Within that scope, a number of disputes remain (‘weak’ vs. ‘strong’ sustainability and socioecological vs. sociotechnical research) that pose challenges related to the dialogue with the society and decision-makers. The latter, the relational approach, aims to dissolve the walls that separate the three pillars in a more holistic view. However, this relational turn also has its disputes. While some place emphasis on research about inner, individual transformations, others believe that change is triggered by social movements. Sustainability science then is approached as a postnormal science, and the chapter examines the importance for sustainability transition of the convergence between the various lines of research rather than further divergence and dispute.