Managing vulnerability and risk for sustainability

The risks to a system must necessarily be well managed for it to be sustainable. In this paper risk, opportunity and vulnerability are clearly distinguished. Managing them for sustainable systems is a set of ‘wicked’ problems with interlocking issues and constraints which can only be solved through a social process. This process can also identify new opportunities to add value. There is a strong need to integrate our understanding and ability to manage ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ systems and this may be done through a way of systems thinking about processes introduced recently. The methodology enables appropriate attributes of processes to be chosen and defined so that evidence can be collected from the past, present and future to steer a ‘wicked’ process to success. This includes a proper consideration of hazards, risks and vulnerabilities and the incorporation of the basic ethical values of sustainability. An example of a (partial) set of processes for sustaining a water supply is given based on an actual case history.