Future Labs as Epistemic Spaces for Justice in Energy Transitions

In recent decades, the urgency of the climate crisis has placed energy transition at the center of political and social agendas worldwide. However, current strategies often rely on top-down approaches rooted in technocentric and economic narratives, sidelining local voices and knowledge systems. The concept of epistemic justice, which values diverse forms of knowledge, is essential for building equitable transitions. Future Labs address these challenges by integrating community-driven insights to include those most vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate policies in decision-making processes. Future Labs aim to capture the collective imagination of local communities and bridge the gap between technocentric policies and individuals' lived experiences. Through structured discussions, activities, and back-casting exercises, participants explore the intersections of past memories, present realities, and future aspirations in the energy transition. This future-oriented perspective empowers participants to reflect on how they have navigated change so far and to identify alternative pathways that hold the most promise for continuing their journey toward a desired future. From these premises, this contribution explores the relationship between temporality and social representations, based on a series of Future Labs that examined alternative perspectives on energy transition. While Social Representations Theory has often conceptualized the past as a “well” from which to draw, anchoring unfamiliar present objects to familiar values, there is still much to be explored about how social imagination fulfils a similar purpose. Future Labs show how novelties can be anchored to expectations and representational projects, helping communities articulate their visions for change. These insights underline the importance of including "the future" as an object of study to better explore and contribute to sustainable transitions. Preliminary findings reveal a disconnect between policy-driven energy agendas and lay interpretations, underscoring the need for epistemic spaces that integrate community perspectives. Participants’ references to institutions and technologies provide valuable clues about what conditions might increase the acceptability of energy transition pathways. In conclusion, Future Labs provide a practical approach to exploring societal change from a lay perspective. By connecting a valued past with an ideal future, they offer a way to identify pathways to more acceptable transitions. Therefore, Future Labs serve as an essential tool for social representations scholars and practitioners, offering a model for bridging the gap between technocentric, top-down approaches and the community-centered perspectives that are critical for a genuinely just energy transition.