The Future of the North – Sustainability in Nordic Countries

Going the path towards Sustainability seems to be a very complex task for all actors to recognize and deal with the web of life. In this context the Nordic countries are often mentioned to be norm entrepreneurs in a variety of parameters (e.g. Global Happiness Index, wealth, social system, SDG’s, Ecological Footprint). For this purpose the reader will be shown what the main patterns of Sustainability are in each Nordic country presented by researches of all these countries. Exists there are special Nordic Sustainability? What are the critical aspects of Sustainability in the Nordics? By using systemic and narrative methods some knots are discovered in an interdisciplinary way. But the critical analysis finishes not in merely quantifying. It will be enlarged by a qualitative analysis as well. Each author got a maximum amount of freedom in understanding
Sustainability in their countries. SDG’s are only used in an indirect way relative to the author’s position. Similarities
and differences between the Nordics may be found from a neutral perspective by German researchers in the end of the book.
Contents

Introduction • Torsten Graap: Theoretical Designs of Sustainability in Nordic countries • Georg-Stephan Barfuß: SDG’s – an indirect way to understand and compare the Nordic countries • Bernd Henningsen, Hannes Saarinen, Joachim
Krüger: Cultural impacts to understand the Nordics • Johan Jansson, Katarina Eckerberg, Jonas Nilsson, Herman Stål: Sweden – Perspectives on Sustainability: Stuck between two paradigms? • Urs Steiner Brandt: Denmark – Nordic Sustainable Futures • Ove Jakobsen, Vivi Storsletten: Norway – Presence and Future of Sustainability • Eveliina Asikainen, Päivi Rajala: Finland – Towards a sustainable society • Auður Ingόlfsdόttir: Iceland – A Role Model or Free Rider
• Tobias Etzold, Christian Opitz: Greenland – Presence and Future of Susainability • Lau Øfjord Blaxekjær, Gestur Hovgaard, Erika Anne Hayfield: Sustainability in the Faroe Islands • Torsten Graap, Georg-Stephan Barfuß: Nordic Sustainability? Analysis and critical Comparison