Climate, Imperialism, and the Geopolitics of Energy Frontiers

The transformation of global energy systems sits at the centre of climate politics. These systems, far from being merely technical infrastructures, constitute global networks deeply entangled with state power, security strategies, and the uneven geographies and histories of imperialism. As these networks transform, or fail to, new geopolitical contradictions entailed in decarbonisation and continued fossil dependence emerge, reshaping the political stakes of the escalating climate crisis. At the centre of the current geopolitics of energy is the relationship between the United States and China, and how both states are positioned within and actively reshaping fossil and renewable energy networks through industrial policy, supply-chain strategy, and geopolitical competition. At the same time, these changes are reshaping energy politics from extractive frontiers to urban centres, outlining new scenarios, challenges and opportunities for transformative forces across both Global North and South.

Join Adam Hanieh, Thea Riofrancos, and Ilias Alami for a discussion on how to think of climate politics in the context of changing energy networks, imperialism, and the remaking of the world order.

Chaired by Luis Andueza

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Host or Publisher School of Global Affairs