Definition and use of Solution-focused Sustainability Assessment: A novel approach to generate, explore and decide on sustainable solutions for wicked problems

Eco-epidemiology of aquatic ecosystems: Separating chemicals from multiple stressors

“…Solution-focused risk assessment is a methodological approach to risk assessment that puts alternative management strategies upfront in the assessment process. This idea was generated upon a large evaluation of risk assessment practices, which suggested that the utility of assessment outcomes for risk management could be improved by formulating optional solution scenarios early in the assessment process and by evaluating them (U.S. NAS, 2009;Abt et al, 2010;Finkel, 2011;Zijp et al, 2016).…”

“…Regarding 'software', the case studies substantiate how the regulatory link between chemical and water assessments could look like (as present in REACH via Article 2.4 and the Water Framework Directive in its concept of Good Chemical Quality), and they cover the goals of a non-toxic environment and good ecological status simultaneously. Regarding 'mindware', a solutionfocused orientation used next to causal analysis supports finding sensible but as yet unexpected abatement options (Brack et al, 2015;Zijp et al, 2016), which has (amongst others) already resulted in an analysis towards safe spatial planning of chemical emission sources vis a vis sensitive functions (Coppens et al, 2015). While we acknowledge the major improvements that have been gained, are gained, and will be gained by continued application of existing chemical-and water policies, we wholeheartedly support the concluding remark of the risk study of Malaj et al (2014) based on our independently collected impact-based results: "[…] more effort is necessary to integrate and advance these regulations toward the reduction of toxic pollution.…”

“…Stressor variables Response variables designing sustainable chemical-and water management plans (Zijp et al, 2016). The restoration approaches for impacted sites can be target-oriented, e.g., by considering specific ecosystem services (UN, 2003), and their underlying ecological phenomena.…”

“…1. The nexus of research and policies in chemical and water management, with the central policy goals of a non-toxic environment and a good ecological status, in the context of a solution-focused assessment paradigm (water bodies restored and protected in a sustainable way, see Zijp et al (2016)). The numbers reflect the schematic position of the Case Studies presented in this manuscript (see Table 1).…”

Methodological Challenges in Sustainability Science: A Call for Method Plurality, Procedural Rigor and Longitudinal Research

“…As such, wicked problems might as mentioned serve as boundary objects to integrate different disciplines, raising awareness of the resources and approaches needed to approximate solutions. In order to serve as boundary objects, wicked problems would need to be sufficiently understandable to all stakeholders [38] because the recognition of a wicked problem can also be variable within a system [39]. While a concrete goal can aid to integrate diverse stakeholders, many wicked problems are more complex and harder to communicate and explain.…”