Intersecting security, equity, and sustainability for transformation in the Anthropocene

Transformative rather than incremental adaptation will be necessary to keep pace with rapidly changing social-ecological systems characteristic of the Anthropocene. Alongside mounting urgency for transformative adaptation, there is also growing recognition that it is no longer possible to achieve sustainable transformation without also addressing security and equity concerns. Thus, dimensions of security, equity, and sustainability (SES) are increasingly intersected in transformation research and practice. However, interpretations of SES dimensions and their intersections vary widely across disciplines, policy sectors, and problem domains, and knowledge of SES intersections is fragmented. To navigate this vast body of knowledge, a conceptual framework is presented that: 1) integrates a set of guiding critical questions for defining and assessing different framings for each SES dimension; 2) identifies modes of theorizing SES intersections; and 3) relates the previous two elements to leverage points targeted, either theoretically or in practice, for transformative change. Nine prominent integrated concepts and associated case studies were identified that explicitly addressed intersections among all SES dimensions. Integrated concepts addressed a diversity of leverage points, but only two mixed epistemological and methodological approaches sufficiently to provide explanatory insight into SES intersections while also supporting science-based change-making. Potential risks of ambiguity around SES framings and needs for addressing SES intersections in future transformation research are highlighted. Optimistically, transformation scholarship has moved beyond simply stating the importance of SES dimensions to focusing on the causal interactions among SES dimensions, which is leading to compelling new blends of explanatory and action-oriented paradigms to pursue transformation.