ABSTRACT
Using the concept of ecological footprinting as an indicator of social-ecological risk, this chapter opens with a reflection on the challenges of ensuring equality amongst people and societies, and opportunities for development while living within ecological limits. With an understanding that transformational learning is required in order to meet these global challenges, the chapter argues that it is important to first develop a nuanced understanding of change. In order to do this, the chapter explores the product/process, spatio-temporal, intransitive/transitive, laminated, emergent and value-oriented nature of change by drawing on the ideas of original critical realism and dialectical critical realism. These aspects of change are then discussed in relation to a transformational intent in environmental learning characterized by open-ended, ontologically grounded and action-oriented approaches to learning in this broad field. Through this exploration this chapter reflects on the ways that critical realism offers insights into the transformative intent of environmental learning.
