ABSTRACT
The relationship between humans and the planet is changing. Planetary boundaries for climate change, biodiversity loss and the nitrogen cycle have been exceeded, while we are approaching other limits including global freshwater use (Rockström et al. 2009 ). In the twenty-fi rst century, global change processes mean that we face challenges including ‘the scarcity of critical resources, degradation of ecosystem services, [and] erosion of the planet’s capability to absorb our wastes’ (Steffen et al. 2011 : 739). The scale, speed and complexity of challenges constitute these as ‘wicked problems’ (Rittel and Webber 1973 ). Transformative changes are required across multiple scales, crossing national and organizational boundaries. Knowledge from natural and social sciences, including accounting and management, will need to be integrated in order to support transitions to sustainability (Future Earth 2013 ).
