Towards a political ecology of temporalities: Indigenous pathways beyond settler time

The global climate crisis is defined by a profound temporal misalignment: while the physical reality of climate change accelerates through non-linear tipping points and non-negotiable deadlines, political and economic responses remain trapped in linear, short-term cycles. Despite the palpable urgency of rising temperatures, dominant temporal regimes fail to arrest emissions. This is due in part to the ontological and epistemological separation of socio-cultural and biophysical time. To analyze this disconnect, we articulate a political ecology of temporalities which centers power relations in the imposition and contestation of environmental time regimes. We bring this framework into conversation with the Tłı̨chǫ First Nation in Northern Canada, examining how Indigenous temporalities offer a counter-narrative to hegemonic settler-colonial time. Building off the work of Coline Ruwet, our findings reveal that Tłı̨chǫ resilience relies on “time perceived” (embodied, cyclical ecological knowledge) and “time imagined” (cultural foresight), contrasting sharply with the anxieties produced by Western technical planning. We conclude that equitable climate action requires reconciling with power in temporalities by centering Indigenous ontologies that align socio-cultural rhythms with biophysical realities. Our articulation of a political ecology of temporalities offers a theoretical advance in this direction.