Speculative Political Ecologies: (re)imagining urban futures of climate extremes

Abstract

What role can a speculative political ecology play in (re)imaging urban futures of climate extremes? In recent years, narratives of dystopian futures of climate extremes have proliferated in geosciences, and across the media and creative arts. These anxiety-fueled narratives often generate a sense of resignation and unavoidability, which contributes to foreclosing the possibility of radically different political projects. In this article, we argue that these narratives conceal the coproduction of nature and society and treat nature as the problem, thereby locking futures into dystopic configurations. Political ecology scholarship can contribute to generate a politics of possibility by reconceptualizing the relations that constitute urban futures under climate extremes as socionatural. This, we argue, calls for a more experimental political ecology and new forms of theorizing. To this aim, we develop a speculative political ecological approach grounded on a numerical model that examines the potential of transformative change in the aftermath of extreme flood events in a capitalist city. Analytically, this opens a unique possibility of exploring urban futures beyond current trajectories, and how these alternative futures might transform vulnerability and inequality across urban spaces. From a policy perspective, we lay the foundations for a new generation of models that apprehend the role of power and agency in shaping uneven urban futures of climate extremes.

Uncovering the Dynamics of Multi‐Sector Impacts of Hydrological Extremes: A Methods Overview

“…By working together, interdisciplinary teams can thus advance the understanding of CCI of hydrological extremes. Numerous of the applications highlighted in this paper are already moving in this direction, showcasing the positive outcomes of embracing interdisciplinary collaboration (e.g., Matanó et al., 2022; Rusca, Mazzoleni, et al., 2023; Savelli et al., 2023). Methodological pluralism is necessary to fully address the complexity of CCI and their underlying risk driversData and knowledge‐driven approaches are commonly used separately in CCI research, and integration of methods is limited.…”

“…By working together, interdisciplinary teams can thus advance the understanding of CCI of hydrological extremes. Numerous of the applications highlighted in this paper are already moving in this direction, showcasing the positive outcomes of embracing interdisciplinary collaboration (e.g., Matanó et al, 2022;Rusca, Mazzoleni, et al, 2023;Savelli et al, 2023).…”

“…For instance, while quantitative assessments allow us to identify generalizable patterns and dynamics, qualitative analyses help to contextualize and interpret them (Di Baldassarre et al., 2021; Rusca et al., 2021). Hence, by triangulating the outcomes of these approaches, several lines of evidence can be delivered (Raymond et al., 2020; Rusca, Mazzoleni, et al., 2023). This can strengthen the research confidence as results that agree across different methods are less likely to be artifacts (Munafò & Davey Smith, 2018).…”

Uncovering the dynamics of multi-sector impacts of hydrological extremes: a methods overview

“…For instance, while quantitative assessments allow us to identify generalizable patterns and dynamics, qualitative analyses help to contextualize and interpret them (Di Baldassarre et al, 2021;Rusca et al, 2021). Hence, by triangulating the outcomes of these approaches, several lines of evidence can be delivered (Raymond et al, 2020;Rusca, Mazzoleni, et al, 2023). This can strengthen the research confidence as results that agree across different methods are less likely to be artifacts (Munafò & Davey Smith, 2018).…”