Agreed, a fascinating and timely initiative, and also am relishing the debate rolling out! As David alludes to in his comment, whatever resilience thinking is able to offer (e.g. social systems in ecological system context, change and transformation in complex and fragile systems) to more traditional sustainability agendas, the clamour to use this current fashionable term can create issues. For instance, during a recent stint in a national government environment department, "resilience" entered the lexicon with such force, that it was often arbitrarily used in every document, a policy brief, presentation, watercooler conversation etc. In many cases, the term was used incorrectly, and it became apparent that very few individuals in policy circles were clear on its definition or how it might be applied effectively!
Therefore, the drive described above to better define, measure and operationalise resilience is extremely welcome. The journey from resilience theory to resilience practice, and demonstration of its effectiveness, is certainly going to be a fascinating one.
Agreed, a fascinating and timely initiative, and also am relishing the debate rolling out! As David alludes to in his comment, whatever resilience thinking is able to offer (e.g. social systems in ecological system context, change and transformation in complex and fragile systems) to more traditional sustainability agendas, the clamour to use this current fashionable term can create issues. For instance, during a recent stint in a national government environment department, "resilience" entered the lexicon with such force, that it was often arbitrarily used in every document, a policy brief, presentation, watercooler conversation etc. In many cases, the term was used incorrectly, and it became apparent that very few individuals in policy circles were clear on its definition or how it might be applied effectively!
Therefore, the drive described above to better define, measure and operationalise resilience is extremely welcome. The journey from resilience theory to resilience practice, and demonstration of its effectiveness, is certainly going to be a fascinating one.