A leverage points perspective on sustainability

• Published in: People and nature (Hoboken, N.J.) Vol. 1; no. 1; pp. 115 - 120
• Main Authors: Fischer, Joern, Riechers, Maraja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-03-2019
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; backcasting; Biodiversity; Causality; Climate change; Complex systems; Consumption; Design parameters; GDP; Gross Domestic Product; Meadows; Population growth; Power; scenario planning; social–ecological system; Sustainability; Sustainability science; Sustainable development; Sustainable yield; system change; Systems design; transformation; transition
• ISSN: 2575-8314; 2575-8314
• DOI: 10.1002/pan3.13

Drawing on seminal work by the late Donella Meadows, we propose a leverage points perspective as a hitherto under‐recognized heuristic and practical tool for sustainability science. A leverage points perspective focuses on places to intervene in complex systems to bring about transformative change.
A leverage points perspective recognizes increasingly influential leverage points relating to changes in parameters, feedbacks, system design and the intent encapsulated by a given system. We discuss four key advantages of a leverage points perspective.
First advantage: A leverage points perspective can bridge causal and teleological explanations of system change – that is, change is seen to arise from variables influencing one another, but also from how human intent shapes the trajectory of a system.
Second advantage: A leverage points perspective explicitly recognizes influential, ‘deep’ leverage points – places at which interventions are difficult but likely to yield truly transformative change.
Third advantage: A leverage points perspective enables the examination of interactions between shallow and deep system changes – sometimes, relatively superficial interventions may pave the way for deeper changes, while at other times, deeper changes may be required for superficial interventions to work.
Fourth advantage: A leverage points perspective can function as a methodological boundary object – that is, providing a common entry point for academics from different disciplines and other societal stakeholders to work together.
Drawing on these strengths could initiate a new stream of sustainability studies, and may yield both practical and theoretical advances.
A plain language summary is available for this article.
Plain Language Summary