Looking beyond the horizon. A normative-institutional approach to sustainability science; getting onto ‘the balcony’

This contribution is based upon an invited keynote to the CSS2020 Conference on Sustainability Science 2020 (Sustainability Science Post COVID-19; Social Distancing Life, Approaching Natural Life, October 8, 2020). Living in the ‘Anthropocene’ confronts us with major challenges regarding a sustainable and healthy planetary environment. Climate change and biodiversity degradation, but also the COVID-19 pandemic are testimony to this, and together they give cause to consider human responses to them. These responses come with several ‘tragic conditions’: on managing commons, on looking beyond our horizon, and on handling cognitive ambiguity. How can we institutionally safeguard against these conditions and have a better chance at avoiding disasters and recovering from them? This contribution points at some normative/legal arrangements establishing such safeguards, such as on a proper knowledge infrastructure, on guiding rights & principles, and on promoting resilience by taking a more system view. It is hoped that these examples will inspire thinking about how ‘to climb onto the balcony’, look beyond the horizon and act responsibly.