Creating fairer futures for sustainability transitions

Abstract

Futures thinking is an expanding interdisciplinary field which is seen as a key element of transitioning towards a more sustainable planet and society. Developing fairer futuring is increasingly urgent in the context of the radical reconfiguration of current systems needed to meet complex global sustainability challenges. However, explicit consideration of uneven power and participation and the nature-society relations that feature in contemporary futuring processes has been given little explicit attention to date. This deficit is addressed in this paper through a critical review of dominant futuring approaches and outlining insights from critical perspectives which (a) identify limitations of current futuring approaches and (b) provide important perspectives to help shape fairer futuring in geographical research.