Sustainability Beyond Metrics: Pathways to Decarbonisation Using Systems Thinking

ABSTRACT

Quantifying the impact and implementation of sustainability has recently become a highly metric‐driven exercise. When considering decarbonisation and net zero emissions goals in this light, sustainable transitions can flatten the inherent complexity of ecological, societal and governance risks. Systems Thinking, combined with the Three Horizons framework and Planetary Boundaries model, offers a robust basis for understanding sustainable transitions, such as recent debates over the expansion of nuclear power as an alternative energy source.