Sustainability Transitions from an Ecological Economic Perspective

Abstract

The concept of sustainability transition is widely used, and the desirability of such transitions is generally emphasized. However, various authors and research fields attach widely different meanings to the concept, particularly with regard to the degree of radicality implied. This brief commentary introduces an ecological economic perspective on sustainability transitions, which can be considered one of the more radical versions of the concept. First, the ecological economic understanding of the challenges is presented, and second, some topical aspects of the research agenda of the field and some of its close cousins are outlined.