Basic Concepts

Question 1

Wicked Problems (10 characteristics)

Answer 1

1. No definitive formulation
2. No stopping rule
3. Solutions are good-or-bad, not true-or-false
4. No immediate or ultimate test of solution
5. Every solution is a “one-shot operation”
6. No enumerable set of potential solutions
7. Every wicked problem is unique
8. Wicked problems are symptoms of another problem
9. Discrepancy can be explained in numerous ways
10. Planner has no right to be wrong

Question 2

Climate Change as a Wicked Problem

Answer 2

• Debate about existence, extent, nature, and urgency
• Challenging to define desired state of global climate
• Previous experiences may not be applicable
• Implications for other sustainability issues

Question 3

Super Wicked Problem def

Answer 3

• Time is running out
• No one authority is in control
• We are the cause of the problem
• Discounting the future in decision-making

Question 4

Crucial Aspects of Environmental Problems

Answer 4

• Natural vs. anthropogenic climate change
• Long-term effects and tipping point
• Different time scales and irreversibility
• Nature of the solution(s)

Question 5

The Nature of Sustainability

Answer 5

• Originally focused on environment
• Spread by the Brundtland report (1987)
• Includes economic and social aspects

Question 6

Triple Bottomline of Sustainability

Answer 6

• Continuous increase in social welfare without exceeding carrying capacity
• Renewable resources should not be used faster than they renew
• Exhaustible resources depend on substitution possibilities
• Waste emissions should not exceed environmental assimilation capacity

Question 7

Role of Technology

Answer 7

• Technology may or may not provide timely solutions
• Rebound effect may cancel technological advances
• Sustainability requires addressing consumption

Question 8

Solutions and their Potentials

Answer 8

• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Sufficiency