Policy, Politics and the Impact of Transition Studies

Transition studies are undertaken in a variety of contexts and at various levels of society. Virtually all of them entertain the hope and in some cases the expectation of being used to address challenges to the sustainability transition. The relationship between research and effective action poses a challenge that transition studies must address. As part of an effort to study the different contexts in which sustainability transition studies have developed, the author will discuss a 1999 report by the US National Research Council (NRC) entitled Our Common Journey: A Transition Toward Sustainability (NRC 1999). The study began in 1996 during the Clinton/Gore administration. Sustainable development and environment were high on the list of priorities again. The time seemed ripe for looking at ways in which science could better support US policy efforts to transition to sustainability. It was the best of times. Shortly after publication (December 1999) a contested election was held and the political climate changed radically. Then there were the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was the worst of times. The author will look at this study and related efforts to address the sustainability transition challenge in the fifteen years since publication.