Geographers declare (a climate emergency)?

Abstract

Over the last two decades 'climate emergency' has grown from a little-known term to a mainstream public issue. In Australia, the term gained traction during the 2019-2020 'Black Summer' bushfires. The (un)natural disaster prompted local governments, industries, peak bodies and academic collectives to 'declare' a climate emergency and call for immediate action on climate change. We note, however, that there has been no declaration from geographers in Australia. As a discipline whose members are embedded in research, teaching and advocacy about climate changeand the interlinked crises of biodiversity loss and environmental and social justicewe found this surprising. It is self-evident that climate change matters to geographers. So, is a declaration of a climate emergency from the discipline necessary? In writing this piece we reflect on our experiences of the 2019-2020 summer and conversations with fellow geographers, to consider what a declaration of an emergency does, who it is for and what actions it might mobilise. In conclusion, we call on geographers in Australia to declare an emergency which foregrounds the interlinked crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and social (in)justice. The detail of what this declaration says and means in practice is open for discussion. We ask many questions throughout this paper as a way to invite youour fellow geographersto join us in this conversation.

Emergent Spaces of Emergency Claims: Possibilities and Contestation in a National Climate Emergency Declaration

“…2018; Young 2011). We note that Wilkinson and Clement (2021) in their discussion of climate emergency declarations in Australia identify this theme and argue such articulations of responsibility are akin to a performance of collective identity. In Aotearoa, it is notable that ideas of obligation and duty within emergency claims were articulated towards groups and entities that do not have political voice through current parliamentary representation—children, future generations, Pacific nations, Papatūānuku.…”

“…In invoking ideas of responsibility, obligation, and debt, these claims could also represent a loosening of the boundaries of political community and opening of relationships beyond the scale and temporality of the state's governing structures (Routledge et al 2018;Young 2011). We note that Wilkinson and Clement (2021) in their discussion of climate emergency declarations in Australia identify this theme and argue such articulations of responsibility are akin to a performance of collective identity. In Aotearoa, it is notable that ideas of obligation and duty within emergency claims were articulated towards groups and entities that do not have political voice through current parliamentary representation-children, future generations, Pacific nations, Papat u anuku.…”

The political effects of emergency frames in sustainability

“…The intensity of the fires 111 and lack of national leadership on climate change triggered fractured political debates concerning climate policy, hazard reduction burning and the extent to which the fires were exacerbated by 'pro-environmental' policies. The fires increased concern among Australians about climate change 112 , and led to widespread protests and growing calls for the declaration of a climate emergency 98 . Government rhetoric on climate change shifted to emphasize resilience and adaptation but with limited discussion concerning mitigation 112 .…”

“…A key question is whether emergency frames usefully embed new ideas in prevailing discourse. For example, emergency-as-strategy could instil greater imperative for climate action in sluggish political systems, or open up new rhetorical strategies to avoid the easy dismissal of climate action 98,99 . But it could also prematurely close down discursive space in the search for concrete solutions 94 , and even trigger counterdiscourses (for example, charges of alarmism or reactionary conservatism) that stall action and reinforce polarization.…”

Harnessing the temporal and projective attributes of human agency to promote anticipatory climate change adaptation

“…Hence, for transformation to occur there is a need to better understand how barriers to adaptation can be overcome, especially those related to adaptation governance (Biesbroek et al, 2014). This is perhaps behind the reasons as to why we find ourselves in a (new) era where calls for climate emergencies are proliferating on a number of fields and jurisdictions (Hammonds, 2020;Hulme, 2020;Wilkinson & Clement, 2021) based on the evidence of accelerated climate change impacts worldwide (Babcock et al, 2019;Herring et al, 2018;IPCC, 2019). Yet, concrete action remains elusive in most countries around the world (Hammonds, 2020) and are reflected in the shy outcomes from the latest COP26 (Hales & Mackey, 2021).…”