Sustainability: Transformation, Governance, Ethics, Law

This book proposes a holistic transdisciplinary approach to sustainability and post-fossil societies as a subject of social sciences - at a time when post-fossilisation is becoming a core political concern due to the aggressive foreign policy of autocracies, also for reasons beyond sustainability. Furthermore, the book shows new ways, as perspectives of philosophy, political science, law, economics, sociology, cultural studies and others are here no longer regarded separately. Instead, integrated perspectives on the key issues are carved out: Perspectives on conditions of transformation to sustainability, on key instruments and the normative questions. This allows for a concise answer to urgent and controversial questions such as the following: Is the EU an environmental pioneer? Is it possible to achieve sustainability by purely technical means? If not: will that mean to end of the growth society? How to deal with the follow-up problems? How will societal change be successful? Are political power and capitalism the main barriers to sustainability? What is the role of emotions and conceptions of normality in the transformation process? To which degree are rebound and shifting effects the reason why sustainability politics fail? How much climate protection can be claimed ethically and legally e.g. on grounds of human rights? And what is freedom? Despite all rhetoric, the weak transition in energy, climate, agriculture and conservation serves as key example in this book. It is shown how the Paris Agreement is weak with regard to details and at the same time overrules the growth society by means of a radical 1,5 degrees temperature limit. It is shown how emissions trading must - and can - be reformed radically. It is shown why CSR, education, cooperation and happiness research are overrated. And we will see what an integrated politics on climate, biodiversity, nitrogen and soil might look like.

This book deals with conditions of transformation, governance instruments, ethics and law of sustainability. The relevance of the humanities to sustainability has never before been demonstrated so vividly and broadly as here. And in every area it opens up some completely new perspectives.

Felix Ekardt is the founder and head of the Forschungsstelle Nachhaltigkeit und Klimapolitik (Research Unit Sustainability and Climate Policy) in Leipzig and Berlin. At the same time he serves as a Professor for Public Law and Legal Philosophy at Rostock University (Faculty of Law), and as member of the Science Campus Phosphorus Research Rostock. Visiting Professor at various German and Chinese universities since 2002. His research addresses questions of sustainability in the humanities, focusing on transformation, policy instruments and normativity (ethics and law) on an international, European, national and communal level.