Alternative ways of knowing and being in climate and ecological education

Cairns, R. (2025). ​ Cultivating collective imagination beyond crisis. ​ Environmental Science and Policy, 169, 104074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104074 ​

The article explores the role of collective imagination in addressing the pervasive crisis narratives that dominate contemporary life, which often foster fear, paralysis, and regressive politics. ​ Cairns argues that humanity faces a "crisis of meaning" or "metacrisis," requiring imaginative practices to create spaces for envisioning hopeful futures. ​ Key themes include challenging the dominance of Western scientific modernity, reconnecting with animistic and relational worldviews, honoring emotions like grief and hope, and embracing embodied wisdom and ritual. ​ The paper highlights the importance of decolonization, inner transformation, and fostering imagination infrastructures to support collective meaning-making and sustainable futures. ​ It emphasizes the need to unlearn harmful imaginaries and cultivate alternative ways of knowing and being, rooted in interconnectedness and kinship with the Earth. ​