Beyond the Carbon Fixation:
Pathways to Regenerative Futures
This research sets out with the intention of finding pathways to liberate land, waters, ecosystems, and communities from the enclosures of capitalism and colonialism. Beyond the carbon-centered approaches to the climate crisis limited by reductionist metrics and market-driven solutions are alternate pathways already embodied by living examples. These pathways —rooted in justice, solidarity, community stewardship, regenerative economies, and shifts towards more ecological consciousness—when interwoven, can serve as a navigational tool for systems change.
This Issue contains four parts outlined below alongside curated contributions that delve into the roots of the metacrisis as well as different expressions of possibility models. These models embody the future we seek by creating actionable, lived alternatives in the present, showing us how systemic change can emerge through practice, not just theory.
In this issue you will find the following:
1. Carbon Fixation:
How Philanthropy and Aid Miss the Real Crisis
This report challenges the dominant approaches in climate philanthropy and climate aid, which are heavily focused on technological solutions and market-driven strategies that prioritize economic growth and measurable outcomes. It calls for a reimagining of climate finance to address both environmental and social justice in the fight against the climate crisis.
2. Beyond the Carbon Fixation:
Pathways to Regenerative Futures
Overview
This introduction sets the context for the research and offers a summary of each report in this Issue. To get the cliff notes with embedded links to go further into each section, start here.
3. Beyond the Carbon Fixation:
Pathways to Regenerative Futures
Narrative Analysis
This is the executive summary of the narrative report which compiles the research conducted and analyzed through each phase of Culture Hack Lab’s methodology including the proposed reframe strategy. Read the full report here.
4. The Pathways to Regeneration are Interwoven:
Regeneration Pathways and Systems Capability Matrix
Addressing the metacrisis requires a radical reimagining of relationships between land, communities, and systems of governance. The systems capability matrix is an offering synthesized from the research that can provide a navigational tool. Each pathway addresses a specific aspect of systemic change, however, it’s their interconnection and relationality that offer the conditions for evolution. By engaging with these pathways as a unified framework, we can cultivate a future where justice, ecology, and culture are integrated into every dimension of regeneration.
Contributed Articles
