The Turbulent Present The English poet John Donne’s familiar phrase, ‘No man is an island entire of itself’, attests to a profound veracity that bears a special significance during times marked by widespread climate breakdown and biological annihilation, widening socioeconomic inequality, and the erosion of social cohesion amid the hyper-individualism of neoliberal capitalism. The prevalent
The ‘Self’ is Always Already a ‘We’ Read More »
Despite years of scientific warnings, it appears that the world is reaching a critical juncture in what might be the greatest epistemological threat to the human species ever faced: the climate crisis. A United Nations Climate Change study released on October 27, 2020, revealed some impending inferences about the global climate crisis and its repercussions
Climate Change and the Consequences for the African Continent Read More »
Perilously close to rising sea levels and vulnerable to floods, erosion, and cyclones, Bangladesh is one of the top recipients of development aid earmarked for adaptation to climate change. The common reading of Bangladesh as a victim of climate change assumes that as global warming increases, ice caps will melt, sea levels will rise, low-lying Bangladesh
Misreading Climate Change in Bangladesh Read More »
Climate change is real and happening now – the scientific data is overwhelming, and the global news is telling the story of fires, droughts, hurricanes, heatwaves, etc. Yet despite this knowledge, despite all the international meetings, and all the emissions and sustainable development goal setting, humanity has made no significant movement on climate change. Why?
Given cumulative climate change impacts for Aotearoa New Zealand and the world, we know our locally generated, Māori-led, evidence-based, and action-orientated research over decades of effort, is enhancing taonga (treasured) species and starting to realise the long-held visions of kaumatua (elders) and healers to overturn the damage of unsustainable economies and polluting farming practices. However,
Indigenous people make up 5% of the world’s population and within the lands they live on responsibly protect 80% of the earth’s biodiversity. The term “indigenous” is a generic term, used in various contexts, in various parts of the world among linguistically and culturally diverse communities. These communities are also referred to as first peoples,
Indigenous Communities and Human Ecology Read More »
China has alternately played climate villain and climate hero in recent years. On the one hand, China’s leaders have made headlines for taking bold steps to slow carbon emissions and limit the worst impacts of a warming planet, like when they shut down some 70 Gigawatts of coal-fired power – more than the total installed
Is China serious about its climate commitments, or just blowing smoke? Read More »
“There is not a single document in this country that does not start with ‘Bangladesh is the most vulnerable country to climate change,” quipped one European donor to me in 2014. Whether it’s true or not, it certainly reflects the ubiquity of narratives surrounding climate change and its threats to Bangladesh, particularly among the development
The Climate Crisis is a Colonial Crisis Read More »
The UN-IPCC Report, “ARS Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis” is a code red for humanity…The alarm bells are deafening. This report must sound a death knell for coal and fossil fuels, before they destroy our planet. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres1 Our task is to look at the world and see it whole. E. F.
Climate Change, Coronavirus, the Economy & Renewable Energy: Connecting the Dots Read More »
We live in head-spinning times. One the one hand there is the daily diet of news stories suggesting that human beings have become exceptionally powerful and destructive: we’re warming the oceans, melting the ice sheets, and driving countless other species into extinction. Given the extent of such anthropogenic changes, some scientists argue we’ve entered a
