The pressing need to address the climate crisis can neither be overstated nor divorced from the legacies of colonialism. There is also an urgent requirement to address both the conceptual and operational aspects of climate action given the historically disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities in the Global South. As climate change remains one of the most pressing issues of our time, these communities continue to bear the brunt of climate change’s effects. This has meant facing the climate crisis as both an ecological reality and a political one.

Communities most alarmingly at risk have seen their economic and human security severely compromised. At the same time, climate change and its implications for armed conflict and peace, international justice, reparative justice, geopolitics of extractives, energy and food security, have rendered it a primary security issue for nation-states.

Understanding these issues requires a nuanced exploration of the political economy and political ecology within and across states and regions. Differences in development trajectories and environmental contexts across the Global South have shaped distinct forms of livelihoods and resource management systems. Emerging challenges in other regions in the Global North, notably including the Arctic, require concerted academic and policy engagement with said specificities and interdependencies across Global North and Global South.

The ongoing climate crisis has exacerbated vulnerabilities and deepened inequalities across livelihoods. The most disadvantaged communities face the gravest impacts, which pose a threat not only to ecological balance and economic stability but also to human security. The paradox facing the Global South is that, despite following different path-dependencies and minimal historical responsibility for ecological change, they find themselves disproportionately affected and often less equipped to mitigate its impacts. This paradox heightens concerns over economic security, as nations must divert limited resources from essential sectors towards adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Even though further global commitment to restrict warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is needed, especially on the part of the most industrialised countries, the Global South has become a centre for creative and cooperative efforts, both among its nations and in collaboration with the Global North. Often backed by state actors, grassroots movements, and indigenous methodologies, these initiatives seek to address the complexities of ecological change and economic security.

The solutions to these numerous challenges may require diverse approaches that ensure equitable resource distribution. This includes engaging critically with colonial legacies in the climate crisis, reparative justice, resilience building, and sustainable economic development—all while recognising regional specificities and historical transnational solidarities.

Against this backdrop, we invite early career researchers and advanced doctoral students to a three-day interdisciplinary conference, with particular attention to Africa, Asia, and Europe, to explore the following themes:

Strand 1

Resilience, and Security in Transitional and Reparative Justice: Explore the intersections of climate change, resilience, security, and justice. We welcome papers examining the implications of ecological change and armed conflict for human and international security, transitional and reparative justice, while critically engaging with the enduring legacies of colonialism and the pursuit of more just and sustainable futures. Contributions may also consider the place of repair and reparative justice amid renewed militarisation and rising defence spending in Europe, and the leadership of African and Caribbean states, particularly through AU–CARICOM engagement that has foregrounded reparative justice within contemporary international politics.

Strand 2

Climate Change, Resilience, and Security in International Cooperation: Explore the intersections of climate change, resilience, and security in the contexts of international cooperation. This asks how to realise collective action against shared existential risks amidst the climate crisis and failing international order. Example topics include international organisations, multilateralism, middle powers, and regional and global governance to enhance resilience (e.g., climate, economic, community) and security (e.g., inter/national, non-traditional). Alternative forms of cooperation are also encouraged, from historical legacies of the Nonaligned Movement, Pan-Africanism, and the New International Economic Order to future prospects for the United Nations, post-2030 Sustainable Development Goals, South-South and North-South cooperation, and alternative international orders. These explore possibilities for international cooperation to advance climate action, resilience, and (inter)national security.

Strand 3

Big Data, AI, Economic Security, and Ecological Change: Explore the role of big data and machine learning approaches for predicting, mitigating, and managing the effects of ecological change, particularly in the context of ecological resilience and economic security. This addresses both the ability to create and to use ecological data that identify significant periods of economic insecurity for both human and non-human species, as well as the design and application of applications to track these periods. The applications might include AI-driven early warning systems, advanced climate modelling, agriculture management, and optimising energy use in rural and urban areas.

We encourage papers that investigate both current day events as well as those examining historical/archaeological periods across Asia, Africa and Europe. We encourage submissions that critically engage with theoretical frameworks, offer new methodological approaches, or present novel empirical findings relevant to these themes.

Organising Team

• Prof Shailaja Fennell, University of Cambridge
• Dr Albert Sanghoon Park, University College London
• Dr Lyn Kouadio, University of Oxford
• Sunanda Nair Bidkar, INET

Funders

Centre of South Asian Studies and Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge,
Institute of New Economic Thinking