Abstract

While the world's scientists and many of its inhabitants despair at the impact of climate change, corporate and military leaders see nothing but opportunities. For them, melting ice caps mean newly accessible fossil fuels, borders to be secured from 'climate refugees', social conflicts to be managed and more failed states in which to intervene. They are 'securing' their assets at the expanse of the planet and its inhabitants.

The Secure and the Dispossessed looks at these deadly approaches with a critical eye. It also considers the flip-side: that the legitimacy of the elite is under unprecedented pressure – from resistance by communities to resource grabs to those creating new ecological and socially just models for managing our energy, food and water.

Topics covered include geoengineering, militarism, refugee protection, greenwashing and the agricultural crisis among others. Adaptation and resilience to a climate-changed world is desperately needed, but the form it will take will affect all of our futures.
'If you want to understand why we can't leave it to the Pentagon to shape our response to climate change, then you need to read this book'
Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything and The Shock Doctrine
'This book is an indispensable guide to the dystopian forces we must confront and the alternative just solutions we will need to advance'
Pablo Solon, Former Ambassador to the Plurinational Government of Bolivia and lead climate negotiator to the UN
'We can deal with the climate crisis either as a moment to build new global unity, or to further divide the planet between profiteering elites and everyone else. This book will help you understand the possibilities, and hopefully move you to join the fight for justice'
Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
'A must read for anyone concerned to secure ecological futures for more than just the rich and powerful few in the global system'
Simon Dalby, Balsillie School of International Affairs
'A brilliantly conceived volume that warns us of the dire political and ecological consequences of accepting a security rationale for the control of climate change policy that entrusts the human future to the main culprits of our era: corporate neoliberalism and geopolitical militarism'
Richard Falk, American Professor Emeritus of Internal Law at Princeton University
'Brings together a series of excellent contributions to take apart the dangers and short-sightedness of securitising climate change. This is a badly needed book and a hugely important contribution to one of the most significant issues of our age'
Paul Rogers, Professor of Peace Studies at University of Bradford
'As this riveting analysis makes clear, climate change will have winners as well as losers. This is far too important to be left to the scientists'
Fred Pearce, environment consultant, New Scientist
'A tremendous book that shows how the few intend to profit from climate change and how the many can stop it happening'
John Vidal, Environment Editor, the Guardian
'Among the books that attempt to model the coming century, this one stands out for its sense of plausibility and danger'
Kim Stanley Robinson
'This book provides a deep and wide-ranging analysis of the securitisation of climate change and its military and corporate sponsors and beneficiaries'
Betsy Hartmann, Professor Emerita of Developmental Studies and Senior Policy Analyst of the Population and Development Program, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA