Sustainability and the Art of Long-Term Thinking (Routledge Studies in Sustainability)

Dealing with time is intimately linked to sustainability, because sustainability, at its core, involves long-term ethical claims. To live up to them, decision and policy-making has to consider long-term development of society, economy, and nature. However, dealing with time and such long-term development is a notoriously difficult subject, both in science and, in particular, in practical decision and policy making.

Rooted in philosophical and scientific reasoning, this book explores how the concept of time can be incorporated into effective practical action. The book describes a system and uses case studies to help sustainability practitioners and researchers consider the long-term consequences of our actions in a methodical way. The system integrates scientific and practical knowledge about time and temporal developments to help break down the sometimes overwhelming complexity of sustainability issues.

Combining theoretical conceptual thinking and practical applications, this book will be of great interest to students and researchers of sustainability science, environmental sciences, sustainable development, environmental economics, political sciences and practical philosophy.

Bernd Klauer is a senior scientist at Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig and an Honorary Professor for Sustainability and Water Resources Management at University of Leipzig, Germany.

Reiner Manstetten has a Habilitation in Economics at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He is currently a lecturer at the Philosophical Seminar of the University of Heidelberg.

Thomas Petersen has a Habilitation in Philosophy at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He is currently a lecturer at the Pädagogische Hochschule (College of Education) Heidelberg.

Johannes Schiller is a senior scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany.