The term 'sustainability transition' is analogous to 'sustainability transformation' insofar as both describe, interpret and support desirable radical and non-linear societal change. As with transformation, complex and uncertain system patterns and mechanisms are considered, including path dependency, emergence and thresholds.
In the domain of scientific research, the term 'transition' is employed to analyse changes in societal subsystems (for instance, the energy sector), with a particular emphasis on the interactions between social, technological, and institutional factors. It is a term employed to describe fundamental social, technological, institutional and economic changes from one societal regime or dynamic equilibrium to another.
Transition analyses have the capacity to facilitate understanding of the manner in which actors and governance can develop disruptive interventions to support desirable societal changes.