Feedback Task 2

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• Problems now intricately connected with life style and consumption (the enemy is not 'the industry', but 'we' are).
• Problems are now more systemic, less visible / tangible, more subtle, ubiquitous, complex and non-linear.
• Uncertainty and ignorance make problems unsolvable.
• There is also ambiguity about objectives we wish to pursue as a society. Problems are trans-scientific: they have ethical and political components.

What are the characteristics of 'trans- scientific' environmental problems? (Compare this notion of trans-science with other conceptualizations)

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• Trans-scientific problems are about complex, non-linear systems. Uncertainty and ignorance mean that these problems cannot be resolved.
• Blurred boundaries. Questions cannot be answered by science, as ethical and political components are also involved (e.g. 'what objectives do we wish to pursue as a society?')

If science cannot be expected to solve ‘real' environmental problems, what roles can it play?

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• Co-production by different sciences (natural and social sciences/humanities) in collaboration with policy / society.
• More focus on policy-relevant research, engaging users (policy makers, practitioners).
• Including different framings of the problem in research designs.

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