Mr Muhammad Sikandar Ali Chaudary1
1University of Sydney, Australia
Biography:
Muhammad Sikandar Ali Chaudary is a Ph.D. scholar at the University of Sydney in Australia. His research explores the “dark side” of the transition towards a low-carbon energy future, particularly examining lithium extraction's political and socio-ecological implications in Western Australia. Sikandar holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism from Northwestern University in the United States and a master’s in public policy from Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.
Abstract:
The narratives around technological advancements, from innovations in nuclear arsenals to autonomous cars, have been accompanied by promises and expectations as much as mass hysteria and uncertainty. Amidst the transition to renewable energy, the futuristic visions accompanying the minerals and metals required for decarbonization frame them as environmentally benign, which excludes extraction's socio-environmental harms. This paper revisits the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries (STIs), introduced by Sheila Jasanoff, which argues that technology and society coproduce by influencing each other concurrently. It critiques STIs for merely reporting the interplay of social, technical, and political forces without ensuring a just and sustainable outcome. It only accounts for the predominance of specific imaginaries over others by examining the level of power and resources (such as access to finances, political influence, and discourse) possessed by the proponents. To overcome the gap, this paper introduces the concept of Sociotechnical Transformative Imaginaries (STTI) as dynamic and contested visions of desirable futures shaped by ongoing clashes between two or more sociotechnical imaginaries on various scales and domains. The argument highlights that the "clash of imaginaries" represents a critical phase where competing visions of the renewable energy future and its impacts are actively contested. This phase is a political opportunity for stakeholders to intervene and reshape the future toward more significant equity and justice. Strategic interventions, such as employing the capabilities approach or intersectional praxis, are vital to empowering marginalized actors and addressing environmental injustices in this transformative period.