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EXPERT COMMENT

The pandemic highlighted antagonistic politics, competition, and national interest. It is time to rethink geopolitics in terms of the impact of human activity.

It is well-known that existential threats due to biodiversity loss and the rapid transformation of the global biosphere which most basic conditions of human existence depend on are growing, and that the potential crossing of climate change tipping points will have catastrophic effects due to cascading effects.

But 2020 is a real turning point, because the total weight of human-made materials – which has doubled roughly every 20 years since the middle of the last century – is now exceeding that of the planet’s natural biomass. However, there is little sign world leaders have understood the importance of this new reality.

The notion of the Anthropocene – the new geological epoch where human activity is dominating and fundamentally reshaping the planet – is already widely-used in earth sciences, but is now posing new challenges for the international community, becoming a novel theme in international relations scholarship and research.

This is because, if not taken seriously, the dynamics of the Anthropocene will dramatically worsen existing security concerns, such as revolutions, inter-state armed violence, and warfare. And COVID-19 has been named the disease of the Anthropocene because it is the perfect example of how degradation of the natural environment through wildlife exploitation and resource extraction contributes to rising trends in zoonotic diseases which then severely disrupt social, economic and political systems.

With such challenges ahead, rethinking geopolitical strategizing – essentially concerned with the control of territory, resources, and space – is not something that can be put off any longer. Geopolitical trends do not just happen, they are created, so there needs to be an examination of the real existential threats we face, and a consideration of what genuine security looks like beyond conventional binary politics, properly taking human-nature interactions into account.

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.