Sustainability Science: state of the art and future perspectives

Over the last two decades sustainability science benefited from the vibrant contribution of distinguished scholars, however a formal recognition of its epistemological value is at its initial stage. The first International Conference on Sustainability Science (ICSS09) was held in Tokyo in February 2009 and leading universities and international research Institutions gathered in order to strengthen the foundation of this innovative and transdisciplinary science. The aim of this paper is to not only review the cutting edge research core of sustainability science but also to describe the practical process behind its construction. The first part of the paper reviews the literature on sustainability science and aims at identifying the main epistemological features of this emerging field of enquiry. The second part of the paper deals with the framework construction and organizational process that contribute to the consolidation and advancement of this field of science