Skip to main content
10Nov

Fault lines: the new political economy of a warming world

Hosted by the Department of Social Policy and Global School of Sustainability
In-person and online public event (Sheikh Zayed Theatre, Cheng Kin Ku Building)
Monday 10 November 2025 6.30pm - 8pm

In this lecture, Helen Milner addresses why vulnerability, lived experience, and material self-interest will drive the next phase of climate politics, and what that means for diplomacy, democracy and development.

In Fault Lines: The New Political Economy of a Warming World, Alexander F Gazmararian and Helen V Milner show how rising temperatures carve a stark divide around the 35th parallel, separating “damage zones” that stand to lose livelihoods and growth from regions that may even gain. This emerging “climate fault line” is already reshaping public opinion, business lobbying and state strategy, forging new coalitions below the line while stiffening resistance above it. This distributive clash—within countries and across borders—will decide whether decarbonisation accelerates or stalls.

Meet our speaker and chair

Helen Milner is the B.C. Forbes Professor of Politics and International Affairs and Director of the Niehaus Centre for Globalization and Governance at Princeton University. Professor Milner has researched extensively on issues related to international and comparative political economy, the connections between domestic politics and foreign policy, and the impact of globalization on domestic politics.

Liam F Beiser-McGrath (@lfbeisermcgrath) is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Policy, Chair of the Sustainable Social Policy and Welfare States Research Hub, Associate of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and Affiliate of the Data Science Institute at LSE.

More about this event

The Department of Social Policy (@LSESocialPolicy) is an internationally recognised centre of research and teaching in social and public policy. From its foundation in 1912 it has carried out cutting edge research on core social problems, and helped to develop policy solutions.

Launched in 2025, the Global School of Sustainability at LSE (GSoS) is advancing global efforts to shape a brighter future for all that is sustainable, resilient, hopeful, prosperous and inclusive.

Join us on campus or register to watch the event online at LSE Live. LSE Live is the home for our live streams, allowing you to tune in and join the global debate at LSE, wherever you are in the world. If you can't attend live, a video will be made available shortly afterwards on LSE's YouTube channel.

Hashtag for this event: #LSEEvents

Any questions?

If you have a query see our Events FAQ or take a look at the information below.

You can also contact us at events@lse.ac.uk.

Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Joetography via Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/arid-wasteland-in-the-desert-6438729/

Many speakers at LSE events also write for LSE Blogs, which present research and critical commentary accessibly for a public audience. Follow LSE British Politics, the Business Review, LSE Impact, LSE European Politics and the LSE Review of Books to learn more about the debates our events series present.

If the event is live streamed, automated live captions will be available. Please note that this feature uses Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology, or machine generated transcription and is not 100% accurate.

Photographs are regularly taken at LSE events both by LSE staff and members of the media and events are routinely filmed. Photographs from events taken by LSE staff are often used on LSE's social media accounts, with videos being made available on the LSE Player. If you have any concerns about this please contact the event organiser in advance of the event.

Please contact the Press Office if you would like to request a press seat or have a media query about this event, email LSE.Press.Events@lse.ac.uk. Please note that press seats are usually allocated at least 24 hours before each event.

We aim to make all LSE events available as a podcast subject to receiving permission from the speaker/s to do this, and subject to no technical problems with the recording of the event. Podcasts are normally available 1 week after the event. Podcasts and videos of past events can be found online.

Event updates and other information about what’s happening at LSE can be found on our Facebook page and for live photos from events and around campus, follow us on Instagram.

Livestreams and archive videos of past lectures are shared on our YouTube channel while event podcasts can be found on the LSE Player.

Attending our events in-person or online? Join the conversation using #LSEEvents.

If you are planning to attend this event and would like details on how to get here and what time to arrive, as well as on accessibility and special requirements, please refer to LSE Events FAQ.  LSE aims to ensure that people have equal access to these public events, but please contact the events organiser as far as possible in advance if you have any access requirements so that arrangements, where possible, can be made. If the event is ticketed, please ensure you get in touch in advance of the ticket release date. Access Guides to all our venues can be viewed online.

LSE has now introduced wireless for guests and visitors in association with 'The Cloud', also in use at many other locations across the UK. If you are on campus visiting for the day or attending a conference or event, you can connect your device to wireless. See more information and create an account at Join the Cloud.

Visitors from other participating institutions are encouraged to use eduroam. If you are having trouble connecting to eduroam, please contact your home institution for assistance.

The Cloud is only intended for guest and visitor access to wifi. Existing LSE staff and students are encouraged to use eduroam instead.

From time to time there are changes to event details so we strongly recommend that if you plan to attend this event you check back on this listing on the day of the event.

LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of the London School of Economics and Political Science.