Systemic Policy Approaches for Cross-cutting Issues

This chapter evaluates the capacity of environmental
policies to achieve transformational change in addressing
cross-cutting global sustainable development challenges.
To this end, the chapter addresses the major challenges
of adapting socioeconomic systems to climate change,
creating a sustainable agricultural and food production
system, decarbonizing energy systems, and creating a circular
economy. The world’s pressing environmental challenges are
the consequence of deeply rooted socioeconomic systems
that reach across multiple policy areas. If global human needs
are to be met within planetary boundaries there must be a
transformation in the operation of these systems to reduce
biophysical resource use and achieve just social outcomes
(Raworth 2012; O’Neill et al. 2018). Systemic transformation
will be very challenging for some communities but will
provide a range of benefits and opportunities. Some of these
opportunities can be realized in the short term, others over
a longer period. In order to achieve a transformation which
attracts widespread support, the opportunities and challenges
will need clear communication, the expectations of affected
groups and sectors will need to be considered, while those
who suffer dislocation or negative distributional impacts from
change will need to be compensated, retooled and reskilled.