Linking Knowledge and Action for Sustainable Development

▪ Abstract It is now commonplace to assert that actions toward sustainable development require a mix of scientific, economic, social and political knowledge, and judgments. The role of research-based knowledge in this complex setting is ambiguous and diverse, and it is undergoing rapid change both in theory and in practice. We review conventional views of the linkages between research-based knowledge and action, and the early response to concerns that these links could and should be improved, through efforts at translation and transfer. We then examine the range of critiques that challenge those conventional views by highlighting different aspects of the relationships between science and society, focusing on…

• NO
  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• MR
  Medical Research Council
• NH
  National Health and Medical Research Council
• CP
  Climate Program Office