Complexity and Governance Paradox: Integrating the “Projected” and “Real” Worlds in Transdisciplinary Research

Systems Conversation with Luis A. Bojórquez-Tapia, National Laboratory of Sustainability Sciences (LANCIS), Institute of Ecology, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)

As sustainability scientists and scholars, we then face a paradox: while it is urgent to provide concrete solutions for real-world problems, it is also critical to emphasize the transformations needed to address the root causes of sustainability challenges before us. But what exactly constitutes transdisciplinary research (TRD) in the context of wicked problems? How compatible are “solutions” with the need for the broad social, economic, and political transformation necessary to address the root causes of the problems before us? How can increasingly sophisticated analytical frameworks such as DMDU become transparent to a plural society in countries like Mexico? Luis will address these questions through two case studies, which lie in diametrically opposed position in the spectrum created by the sustainability science and practice paradox: (1) The integration of the rights and knowledge of the Rarámuri indigenous Nation into an impact assessment; and (2) MEGADAPT, a modeling approach to simulate Mexico City’s vulnerability to socio-hydrological risk.