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Published in Chapter:
Challenges Turning Environment and Sustainability Science Into Policy: An Interdisciplinary Review
Catherine M. Dieleman (University of Guelph, Canada), Chad Walker (Queen's University, Canada), David Pipher (University of Western Ontario, Canada), and Heather Peacock (University of Western Ontario, Canada)
Copyright: © 2019
|Pages: 30
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-7302-9.ch008
Abstract
In theory, there is a strong, two-way relationship between sustainability research and public policy that functions in synchrony to identify, understand, and ultimately address ecological problems for the greater good of society. In reality, such a cooperative relationship is rarely found. Instead, researchers and policymakers face a suite of challenges that prevent effective communication and collaborative pursuits, prolonging the period required to address environmental issues. In this chapter, the authors apply a novel interdisciplinary approach to identify key barriers and solutions to translating research into policy. In doing so, the authors present two separate discussions focused on the natural and social sciences. The authors also review established research-to-policy frameworks to develop the new “cohesive” framework. By addressing key barriers between researchers and policymakers, society will be better able to respond to the various environmental stressors that it faces today.