ABSTRACT
The need for sustainability in the use of natural and other resources has been widely accepted by decision makers and society as a whole. Following early warnings in Rachel Carson’s classic Silent Spring (1963) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studies (Meadows, 1972), the Brundtland report (United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) reflected a real turning point in public opinion. It later began to become clear, however, that it would not be easy to implement sustainability in complicated societal decisions. Apart from the acceptance of sustainability as a guiding principle, bridging the gap between the disciplinary borders of knowledge and political and governmental boundaries through integrated approaches was shown to be a vital prerequisite. In the past decade, an overwhelming number of integrated assessment studies have appeared for policy assessment — often in relation to sustainability — in technology, social welfare, monetary issues, agriculture, physical planning, fisheries, environmental issues, water management, and public health.
