ABSTRACT
Four fundamental questions exist, when it comes to global sustainability governance. The first one relates to the politics of global sustainability governance: why are we not seeing real action in the face of the sustainability challenges humankind faces? To a bystander, it must seem like we are driving full speed into the wall, all the time having our gazes strictly fixed on entertaining stuff happening on the sidewalk. Do not look ahead! appears to be the motto of our time. Against the background of this question, the second one develops: where can we identify potential sources of hope for change, if any exist at all? Underlying these questions are two additional ones that students (in the broadest sense) of global sustainability governance need to ask of any representations of sustainability challenges and solutions: what analytical lens does the argument take, i.e. what does it focus on, but just as importantly, what does it ignore? The answer to this question provides a first basis for evaluating the plausibility of the representation of the problem and solution. The final question concerns the normative frame explicitly or implicitly applied in the respective representation of sustainability challenges and solutions. Taking this frame into account allows us to evaluate the suggested solution in terms of its fit with broader norms and values, so as to avoid potential trade-offs between sustainability and other societal goals. This Handbook and its contributions speak to these four questions. In fact, while the chapters are placed in four sections corresponding to the earlier questions, all chapters speak to more than one of them.
