ABSTRACT
It is in the context of the complexities that have rendered our world messier than ever that this chapter examines the links between governance, sustainability and globalisation in a world that is simultaneously undergoing fragmentation and integration. The chapter suggests that the core of governance involves rule systems in which steering mechanisms are employed to frame and implement goals that move communities in the directions they wish to go or that enable them to maintain the institutions and policies they wish to maintain. It focuses on how the eight dynamics may serve to generate tension and conflict in the realm of environmental sustainability. The chapter argues that people everywhere—elites, activists, ordinary folk in rural areas and urban centres—have expanded their skills at dealing with the challenges and crises that mark our accelerated epoch.
