Engler, J. O., & von Wehrden, H. (2023). 28 months later: the coronavirus pandemic as an analogy for future sustainability challenges. Sustainability Science, 18(5).

01.09.2023 We combine the concepts of ‘black elephants’ and wicked problems with Roy Bhaskar’s critical realist philosophy of science and frame the current state of the coronavirus pandemic as an analogy for impending sustainability challenges. We point out and illustrate that the interaction of different ontological levels of our world as it ‘is’ will likely remain a challenge in addressing the wicked problems of our time.

Engler, J. O., & von Wehrden, H. (2023). 28 months later: the coronavirus pandemic as an analogy for future sustainability challengesSustainability Science18(5), 2499-2504. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-023-01383-4