Unveiling the Plurality of Visions for the Ecological Transition in Europe

The article "Unveiling the Plurality of Visions for the Ecological Transition in Europe" has been published in the journal Futures (Q1, Elsevier), as part of the European project PHOENIX H2020.

Authored by Fátima Alves, Diogo Guedes Vidal, and Helena Freitas, this study contributes to the European debate on ecological transition by highlighting its sociopolitical complexity. While dominant narratives tend to present the transition as a technical, linear, and universal process, this research, based on 45 interviews across five European countries, reveals a plurality of competing visions, shaped by political cultures, territorial inequalities, welfare models, and diverse relationships with nature.

Drawing on qualitative and transnational fieldwork, the study underscores the following key points:

• The notion that individual behavioural change alone is sufficient is challenged: ecological action is profoundly shaped by social, economic, and institutional structures.
• Public policies are needed that address inequalities, promote transformative education, and deepen civic participation.
• Theoretically, the work bridges critical theory, futures studies, and socio-technical transitions to propose fairer and more democratic alternatives.

Rather than simply offering a diagnosis, the article aims to contribute to a democratic reinvention of the ecological transition, at a time when building fairer, more plural, empathetic, and inclusive futures for Europe is ever more urgent.

We invite you to read the full article in the Scientific Journal Futures