Walking together in a world of many worlds

Transformations to sustainability require more than just technical fixes; they also require supporting and strengthening close relationships between people and the natural world. A recent paper by Centre researchers Simon West, Jamila Haider, Tilman Hertz, Maria Mancilla Garcia, and Michele-Lee Moore explores the importance of a diversity of what they call “relational approaches” in achieving sustainability transformations.

Such relational approaches focus on the deep connections between people, communities, and nature. Rather than seeing humans and nature as separate, these approaches emphasize that our well-being is deeply intertwined with the health of the natural ecosystems we depend on. Many different relational approaches exist around the world, as has been articulated by various scholars, practitioners, and activists both from the Global South and North.

The paper highlights five different broad ways of thinking about these relationships, among many others, ranging from Indigenous knowledge systems rooted in kinship with the natural world to Western scientific approaches that look at how different parts of society and nature are interconnected. Each of these approaches offers valuable insights into how we can better care for the planet and each other. Trying to fit these diverse perspectives into a single, one-size-fits-all, framework is not a viable way forward.

“Transformations to sustainability are not about finding a single way forward but about recognizing that there are many paths,” says lead author Simon West. “Sustainability science needs to move beyond universal solutions and strengthen engagement with the diverse ways of knowing, being and doing that exist around the world.”

Relational approaches to sustainability transformations in sustainability science. Note that these do not constitute the only relationalities in sustainability science (or in the broader literature) but are rather those that we focus on in this paper. The fainter overlapping shapes in the background are intended to symbolise additional relationalities that are either present in sustainability science today or may be in the future. References are illustrative rather than extensive to avoid cluttering the image.

Co-author Jamila Haider adds, “By embracing diverse relational approaches, we can create shared spaces where different perspectives are valued, and where the complexities of human and non-human relationships are acknowledged and respected.”

The researchers also advocate for value of the “uncommons”, a concept that recognizes that while there may be shared goals in sustainability agendas, the reasons, rationales, and ways we achieve those goals can and should be different. This approach can encourage dialogue and collaboration across cultures and perspectives, helping to “walk together in a world of many worlds.”

In summary, the new study underscores the importance of incorporating diverse voices, perspectives and relationships in the conversations about sustainability. To embody this approach, the authors have made their work available as an “open review” online, inviting others to “add to, critique, and transform it in the years ahead as discussions around relational approaches continue to evolve”.