The article "Negotiating Discord in Sustainability Transformations" by James J. Patterson, Giuseppe Feola, and Rakhyun E. Kim, edited by Arun Agrawal, addresses the challenges of policy action for sustainability transformations, which often face inherent and persistent sources of conflict, pushback, and resistance. The authors argue that conceptual frameworks and policy prescriptions often underestimate the significance and centrality of discord, treating it as an aberration that can be overcome through consensus-building or win-win solutions. However, real-world politics rarely conforms to these assumptions, and sustainability transformations are inherently complex and messy. The authors propose a new perspective on how to navigate and negotiate discord in sustainability transformations. They suggest that policy action should focus on finding "partial political settlements" among deeply divided actors, which are uncomfortable compromises that help to realize a minimal degree of productive cooperation. These settlements are imperfect and tentative, but they can generate workable steps that loosen deadlocks and avoid complete derailment of transformation agendas. The article critiques common frameworks and prescriptions for sustainability transformations, highlighting their biases towards consensus, steering, frictionlessness, discreteness, and additivity. It emphasizes the need to recognize that accord is not a realistic prerequisite for transformation and that policy action must navigate divergent interests and moral stances among heterogeneous actors. The authors provide examples of partial political settlements in policy actions, such as the introduction of coal phase-out commissions in Germany and Canada, and the negotiation of climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in the United States. The article concludes by advocating for a pragmatic approach to policy action that embraces the discordant nature of societal change and transformation. It calls for attention to processes of governance for sustainability, the development of unconventional coalitions, and the integration of diverse forms of action within and beyond formal political processes. The authors suggest that pursuing partial political settlements may require different governance processes and arrangements, and they emphasize the importance of understanding network effects and temporal consequences of settlements.The article "Negotiating Discord in Sustainability Transformations" by James J. Patterson, Giuseppe Feola, and Rakhyun E. Kim, edited by Arun Agrawal, addresses the challenges of policy action for sustainability transformations, which often face inherent and persistent sources of conflict, pushback, and resistance. The authors argue that conceptual frameworks and policy prescriptions often underestimate the significance and centrality of discord, treating it as an aberration that can be overcome through consensus-building or win-win solutions. However, real-world politics rarely conforms to these assumptions, and sustainability transformations are inherently complex and messy. The authors propose a new perspective on how to navigate and negotiate discord in sustainability transformations. They suggest that policy action should focus on finding "partial political settlements" among deeply divided actors, which are uncomfortable compromises that help to realize a minimal degree of productive cooperation. These settlements are imperfect and tentative, but they can generate workable steps that loosen deadlocks and avoid complete derailment of transformation agendas. The article critiques common frameworks and prescriptions for sustainability transformations, highlighting their biases towards consensus, steering, frictionlessness, discreteness, and additivity. It emphasizes the need to recognize that accord is not a realistic prerequisite for transformation and that policy action must navigate divergent interests and moral stances among heterogeneous actors. The authors provide examples of partial political settlements in policy actions, such as the introduction of coal phase-out commissions in Germany and Canada, and the negotiation of climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in the United States. The article concludes by advocating for a pragmatic approach to policy action that embraces the discordant nature of societal change and transformation. It calls for attention to processes of governance for sustainability, the development of unconventional coalitions, and the integration of diverse forms of action within and beyond formal political processes. The authors suggest that pursuing partial political settlements may require different governance processes and arrangements, and they emphasize the importance of understanding network effects and temporal consequences of settlements.