Transformation as praxis: responding to climate change uncertainties in marginal environments in South Asia

Mehta, Lyla; Srivastava, Shilpi; Movik, Synne; Adam, Hans Nicolai; D’Souza, Rohan; Parthasarathy, D.; Næss, Lars Otto; Ohte, Nobuhito

doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2021.04.002

Cited by 37 publications

(28 citation statements)

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“…Philosopher Paulo Freire described praxis as “reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it” (Freire, 1970, p. 51). In broad terms, critical climate justice praxis demands systemic changes to address structural inequities and destabilize power systems that produce various climate injustices (Foran, 2016; Mehta et al, 2021; Rice et al, 2015). Equity considerations emphasise actions that reduce and remove harms, making the underlying commitment of climate justice to political action and solidarity.…”

Section: Critical Climate Justice Praxismentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical climate justice

Sultana

2021

Geographical Journal

263

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Climate change has had unequal and uneven burdens across places whereby the planetary crisis involves a common but differentiated responsibility. The injustices of intensifying climate breakdown have laid bare the fault lines of suffering across sites and scales. A climate justice framework helps us to think about and address these inequities. Climate justice fundamentally is about paying attention to how climate change impacts people differently, unevenly, and disproportionately, as well as redressing the resultant injustices in fair and equitable ways. Critical climate justice as a praxis of solidarity and collective action benefits from greater engagement with intersectional and international feminist scholarship. Incorporating insights from feminist climate justice bolsters solidarity praxis while enriching and reframing dominant climate change discussions for more impactful and accountable action.

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Section: Critical Climate Justice Praxismentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical climate justice

Sultana

2021

Geographical Journal

263

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“…Calls for ‘transformative change’ have increased commensurately in conservation, energy, business, and urban planning sectors, and a variety of academic disciplines (Scoones et al, 2020). The term has popular appeal because it points to the fundamental, broad, and durable changes necessary to stem catastrophe, but it is not always clear what ‘transformation’ means (Massarella et al, 2021; Mehta et al, 2021; Scoones et al, 2020). Within the field of ecosystem stewardship, ‘transformation’ derives from Holling's (2001) concept of panarchy, which foregrounds the interdependent relationship between social and ecological systems and seeks to enhance sustainability in a rapidly changing world (Chapin et al, 2009).…”

Section: Promises and Potential Hazards Of Transformative Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Transformative Conservation of Ecosystems

et al. 2022

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Non-technical summary Many conservation initiatives call for ‘transformative change’ to counter biodiversity loss, climate change, and injustice. The term connotes fundamental, broad, and durable changes to human relationships with nature. However, if oversimplified or overcomplicated, or not focused enough on power and the political action necessary for change, associated initiatives can perpetuate or exacerbate existing crises. This article aims to help practitioners deliberately catalyze and steer transformation processes. It provides a theoretically and practically grounded definition of ‘transformative conservation’, along with six strategic, interlocking recommendations. These cover systems pedagogy, political mobilization, inner transformation, as well as planning, action, and continual adjustment. Technical summary Calls for ‘transformative change’ point to the fundamental reorganization necessary for global conservation initiatives to stem ecological catastrophe. However, the concept risks being oversimplified or overcomplicated, and focusing too little on power and the political action necessary for change. Accordingly, its intersection with contemporary biodiversity and climate change mitigation initiatives needs explicit deliberation and clarification. This article advances the praxis of ‘transformative conservation’ as both (1) a desired process that rethinks the relationships between individuals, society, and nature, and restructures systems accordingly, and (2) a desired outcome that conserves biodiversity while justly transitioning to net zero emission economies and securing the sustainable and regenerative use of natural resources. It first reviews criticisms of area-based conservation targets, natural climate solutions, and nature-based solutions that are framed as transformative, including issues of ecological integrity, livelihoods, gender, equity, growth, power, participation, knowledge, and governance. It then substantiates six strategic recommendations designed to help practitioners deliberately steer transformation processes. These include taking a systems approach; partnering with political movements to achieve equitable and just transformation; linking societal with personal (‘inner’) transformation; updating how we plan; facilitating shifts from diagnosis and planning to action; and improving our ability to adjust to transformation as it occurs. Social media summary Curious about stemming the global biodiversity and climate crises? Browse this article on transformative conservation!

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“…Bastiaensen et al [ 67 •• ], van Leeuwen et al [ 68 •• ], Brondizio et al [ 69 •• ], Massarella et al [ 70 •• ], Zwarteveen et al [ 71 •• ], Mehta et al [ 72 •• ], and Fisher et al [ 73 •• ] address sustainability challenges in the Global South. They have a development orientation and encompass how colonialism, capitalism, and development or conservation shape sustainability challenges.…”

Section: Approaching Transformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zwarteveen et al [ 71 •• ] focus on groundwater and agricultural intensification (Africa, Middle East, India, USA) to anchor transformations to sustainability within collective action linked to forms of care, away from government efforts to control individual behaviour. Mehta et al [ 72 •• ], debate how transformation can be conceptualized ‘from below’ in marginal environments of India and Bangladesh marked by climate uncertainties, proposing the notion of transformation as praxis within bottom-up change. Finally, Fisher et al [ 73 •• ] address precarity, heterogeneity and the politics of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (Africa, South America) to challenge dominant legalistic approaches that ignore the social-material relationships and role of technology in stimulating transformative change.…”

Section: Approaching Transformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To illustrate, Mehta et al [ 72 •• ] propose the notion of ‘ patches of transformation ’ ‘ sites and exemplars amidst largely unsustainable processes where hybrid alliances and their innovation initiatives, reimagine sustainable development and inspire transformative societal changes that can be scaled up and out ’ . In comparison, Bastiaensen et al [ 67 •• ] focus on ‘ territorial pathways ’ to ‘side with evolving co-created sustainability perspectives built from multiple entry points by innovative actor-coalitions, often involving previously excluded or invisible groups’.…”

Section: Opportunities and Challenges In Regional Contexts At Differe...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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