Leadership for Epistemic Transitions

Most disciplines and professions continue to operate with extractive worldviews shaped in the previous century. Humanity needs a profound reexamination of our worldviews to make way for a regenerative future.   

The Epistemic Transitions Program brings together diverse academics, indigenous knowledge holders, policymakers, and practitioners to critically examine the epistemic limitations of existing disciplines and explore pluralistic ways of knowing that can guide us toward ecosystem regeneration. By fostering dialogue across scientific, indigenous, and experiential knowledge systems, this program aims to unlock new pathways for climate action, sustainability, and ecological justice.

Why Epistemic Transitions?

Mainstream academic disciplines and policy frameworks are often constrained by reductionist, Western-centric ways of knowing that struggle to address the complexity of planetary crises. This program enables participants to:

• Recognize the epistemic blind spots in dominant scientific and policy frameworks

• Engage with diverse knowledge systems, including indigenous, feminist, decolonial, and ecological epistemologies

• Co-create transdisciplinary methodologies for sustainability and climate justice

• Reframe global challenges through relational, holistic, and regenerative perspectives

• Advance epistemic justice by valuing historically marginalized knowledge traditions

Who Should Join?

This program is designed for:

• Academics and researchers seeking to expand the boundaries of their disciplines

• Indigenous scholars and knowledge holders leading regenerative practices

• Policy innovators and governance leaders rethinking sustainability frameworks

• Artists, activists, and cultural practitioners exploring alternative narratives

• Philosophers and epistemologists studying knowledge systems and worldviews

Key Features of the Program

1. Interdisciplinary & Trans-Epistemic Dialogues

   • Convene forums to critically examine disciplinary limitations

   • Engage with indigenous, decolonial, and plural epistemologies

   • Foster cross-sector collaborations for epistemic co-creation

2. Ecosystem Regeneration Research & Praxis

   • Develop methodologies that integrate multiple ways of knowing

   • Apply relational and place-based knowledge to climate solutions

   • Reimagine economic, legal, and governance models through diverse epistemic lenses

3. Epistemic Justice & Decolonization of Knowledge

   • Address knowledge extraction and power asymmetries in research

   • Support ethical collaborations with indigenous and local communities

   • Advocate for policy shifts that recognize diverse epistemologies

4. Living Knowledge Labs & Experimental Learning Spaces

   • Establish transdisciplinary hubs for knowledge experimentation

   • Develop immersive learning experiences that bridge science, art, and traditional wisdom

   • Equip participants with tools to navigate epistemic transitions in practice

5. Reviewing Disciplinary Frameworks for Ecosystem Regeneration

   • Engineering Departments: Reassess curricula to integrate regenerative design principles, circular economy approaches, and biomimicry in infrastructure and product development.

   • MBA Programs: Critique dominant economic models that prioritize growth over sustainability and explore regenerative business strategies, impact investing, and circular business models.

   • Psychology Departments: Examine the psychological dimensions of climate change, eco-anxiety, and indigenous frameworks of ecological well-being to inform behavior change strategies.

Expected Outcomes

• Expanded epistemic frameworks that integrate diverse knowledge traditions

• Regenerative governance models informed by holistic and relational thinking

• Stronger collaborations between academia, indigenous communities, and policymakers

• New transdisciplinary approaches to ecosystem health and sustainability

• Shifted narratives that move beyond extractive and mechanistic worldviews

How to Get Involved

Academics, knowledge holders, and climate practitioners can join our upcoming dialogues, contribute to research initiatives, or establish Living Knowledge Labs in their regions. For more information, contact us at ask@climateactionlabs.com.