The next decade of sustainability science

Abstract

If being sustainable is good for everyone, it would not be a debate or argument. The idea that environmental and social outcomes are cobenefits of “smart” business is interesting, but not yet realized. If it was possible and if the best way to do business was analogous with universally positive social and environmental outcomes, companies would have already made this transition. Yet, progress has been stymied by the complexity of identifying specific actions that adequately balance economic, social, and environmental targets. This is especially true in the electric power industry where the variety of natural resource dependencies, business models, and demographics makes industry-level solutions non-universal and rarely simple. Usually, priorities need to be determined, trade-offs assessed, and compromises made between the community, customers, employees, investors, and the environment. These are the complexities that are frustratingly absent from the popularized corporate successes. While environmental and social benefits can be cobenefits of financial outcomes in the electric power industry, we need to know the “right” decisions when win–win–win outcomes are not clear—this is the gap in sustainability science that needs to be addressed.