Project Summary

Climate change and biodiversity loss have for long hinged on apocalyptic images of future catastrophes that must be acted upon before it is too late. Recently, new scientific, artistic, and activist narratives have gained ground that suggest socio-ecological catastrophe is already here and inescapable. The Living with WildFire (LiFi) project engages with these post-apocalyptic narratives through the lens of Extreme Wildfire Events (EWEs). We ask how lived experiences of EWEs influence the way communities imagine, narrate and act upon their environmental relations and futures. LiFi investigates both the traumatic dimensions of EWEs (eco-anxiety, grief, loss) and the potential of EWEs to transform community imaginaries, agency and political organization.
LiFi interweaves political discourse theory and interpretive methods within a transdisciplinary framework. Working with fire-affected communities, we investigate: their changing priorities; how recovery and sustainability are reimagined; and what shared visions for the future gain ground. LiFi will unearth archetypal political ’fantasies’ that emerge after profound socio-ecological disruption, and the possibilities these bring to creatively renegotiate collective values, environmental rights, obligations and political participation and engagement. Through its transdisciplinary approach, LiFi will help communities develop soft skills and policy tools necessary to build resilience in a rapidly warming world.