Taking Time, Shaping Time: The Temporal Work and Timescapes of Climate Transitions

This article examines the role of temporality in climate transitions, drawing on recent literature across transition studies, future studies, and science and technology studies. It argues that transitions both take time and shape time through various forms of temporal work. Key dimensions analyzed include the urgency and incumbent dynamics conditioning transition, the emergence of calculated futures through the coupling of green and digital transitions, and the downscaling of transitions to urban settings and the proliferation of situated temporalities. The article identifies three main performative temporalities (timescapes) characterizing transitions: incremental, entrepreneurial, and “twin-downscaled” timescapes. It concludes by considering the relationship between temporal and climate justice from a decolonial and political-ecological perspective.