Rooted in different theories and focusing on different elements of the socio-ecological fabric, climate transitions and transformations are conceived to have various forms. Although these literatures recognize the significance of learning and boundary spanning, systematic reviews of the role of knowledge in climate transitions are lacking. We review how targets of transformation, functions, types, and intermediaries of knowledge are conceptualized in five types of literature. We highlight that knowledge has a role as: the motor of transition in Transition Management literature, a consultant supporting transition in Transformational Climate Adaptation literature, an emancipator of transition in Transform Political and Economic Systems literature, the beacon guiding transition in Social–Ecological Transformation literature, and an Ad Hoc Committee motivating transition in Grassroots Transitions literature.

根植于不同的理论并关注社会生态结构的不同要素，人们认为气候变迁和转化具有多种形式。尽管这些文献认识到学习和跨越边界的重要性，但仍缺乏对知识在气候转变中的作用的系统评价。我们回顾了五种类型的文献中如何将转化的目标，知识的功能，类型和中介概念化。我们着重指出，知识具有以下作用：过渡管理文学中的转型动力，支持转型气候适应文学中的转型的顾问，转型政治和经济系统文学中的转型的解放者，指导社会生态转型文学转型的信标，以及一个促进草根转型文学转型的特设委员会。