Human motivation is key to global environmental change. Therefore, the social, human, natural and technical sciences must work together to overcome the Two Cultures syndrome. The complex problems which cut across disciplines require new epistemological frameworks and methodological practices that exceed any one discipline.
Read the full paper in Environmental Science & Policy 2012: behind pay-wall at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2012.11.010 or access the free pre-publication paper: Collaboration between the Natural, Social and Human Sciences in Global Change Research.
We propose a framework for funding excellence in interdisciplinary studies, named the Radically Inter- and Trans-disciplinary Environments (RITE) framework. RITE includes the need for a realignment of funding strategies to ensure that national and international research bodies and programmes road-map their respective strengths and identified areas for radical interdisciplinary research; then ensure that these areas can and are appropriately funded and staffed by talented individuals who want to apply their creative scientific talents to broader issues than their own field in the long term, rather than on limited scope (5 year and less) research projects. While our references are mostly to Europe, recommendations may be applicable elsewhere.