Governance in Complexity – Sustainability Governance Under Highly Uncertain and Complex Conditions

This report presents an alternative concept of governance in complexity as an approach to managing sustainability challenges. It outlines how traditional governance methods may be insufficient for addressing the systemic, interrelated, and uncertain nature of these issues. The report highlights the importance of acknowledging multiple perspectives and trade-offs, rather than relying on simplified or universal solutions. It introduces six key principles: experimentation, systems thinking, participation, precaution, anticipation, and care, as central to this approach. The report also illustrates how the European Union has already begun to incorporate elements of governance in complexity in response to challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis, biodiversity loss, and debates on the environmental impacts of continued economic growth. Shifting toward this approach would require change at multiple levels, including individual, organisational, institutional, and societal, to foster a mindset that embraces uncertainty, inclusivity, and transformative learning.