Anthropocene Geopolitics: Book Origins and Multidisciplinary Approaches

Sponsored by University of Ottawa Press

Recorded on 12/06/2021
Posted in The Authority File

Episode 231

Anthropocene Geopolitics: Globalization, Security, Sustainability book cover

When we think of climate change, issues of borders and security usually aren’t the first concerns to come to mind. However, as Simon Dalby explains in his book, Anthropocene Geopolitics: Globalization, Security, Sustainability, to achieve a sustainable future we need to understand that climate change knows no political boundaries. In fact, preventing the devastating effects of climate change will require rewriting geopolitical policies to abide the limits of planetary harm.

In this four-part series, Simon joins the program to define terms like the Anthropocene period, planetary boundaries, and environmental insecurity. Within the context of our globalized world, he unpacks how climate change will continue to play a significant role in our understanding of political, economic, social, and public health security. He also looks ahead to the future, tackling what needs to change in order to protect our planet—and ourselves.

In this first episode, Simon discusses the origins of Anthropocene Geopolitics and how it intertwined with the Borders in Globalization project. In addition, he highlights his background in geography and how the surprisingly interdisciplinary field better prepared him for his research.


About the guest:

Simon Dalby
Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies
Wilfrid Laurier University

Simon Dalby is a professor of geography and environmental studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, where he teaches in the Balsillie School of International Affairs, and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. He was educated at Trinity College Dublin and at the University of Victoria, and holds a doctoral degree from Simon Fraser University. Before joining Wilfrid Laurier University, he was a professor of geography, environmental studies, and political economy at Carleton University.


Enjoy the episode? Listen to the rest of the series:


Check out our previous series with the University of Ottawa Press:
Looking at Canadian Community Development
What We Can Learn from a COVID-19 Spring


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