GOVERNING SUSTAINABLY
The career of Tim O'Riordan is widely known to those reading and acting in the area of sustainability. To mark his ‘retirement’ from the University of East Anglia in 2005, Adger and Jordan organised a conference that brought together some of our most inspirational thinkers in the field of sustainability and governance. This publication is a collection of 12 chapters that present the topics debated at the conference.
As we observe the shifts in thinking in sustainability and the emerging science in such areas as climate change prediction and the modelling of changing water regimes, it is increasingly apparent that the key issue to be addressed by our world societies (and the leadership of them) is that of governance. This is the starting point of the book, in which the authors explain their belief that whatever crisis may be perceived in elements of sustainability, this is in fact a crisis in governance. This theme is explored through three interlinked sections that in turn unpick the interactions of governance within government, civil society and decision-making processes.
The concluding remarks are left to O'Riordan himself, who draws out the central themes with insight and clarity in the form of an analysis of tipping points and how this concept could manifest itself within the global economy and the business community as well as within civil society and the wellbeing of us all.
The publication will appeal to a wide variety of interests and is recommended to practitioners, students and all of us who are thinking about and trying to join up science, policy and decision-making for a more sustainable future.
