ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces sustainability thinking for Arctic places and communities. Specifically, the chapter focuses on three emergent features of sustainability thinking—the fact that geography matters, decolonial thinking, and polycentrism—that are crucial for such inquiry in the Arctic.
Additionally, the motivations and approaches to writing this book are described, and conceptual models are introduced for considering the development of sustainability thinking about the Arctic over the past several decades and for considering the complexity of socio-ecological systems that must be considered. The introduction underscores the cross-disciplinary nature of sustainability research and the necessity of multiple perspectives to create a comprehensive a synthesis of knowledge about sustainability for the Arctic. The chapter concludes with a brief description of each chapter included in the volume.
