How climate reshapes the world: climate as a catalyst of international change
Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue — it is a force reshaping global politics, economies, and the balance of power. From the collapse of ancient civilizations to the upheavals that followed the Little Ice Age, periods of climate instability have repeatedly influenced international relations, triggering changes in trading patterns, increasing migration and conflict, and catalyzing domestic upheaval. What can these historical moments teach us about today’s rapidly warming world—and about why some polities weathered instability better than others?
This discussion explores how climatic shocks interact with political authority, global cooperation, and security. The discussion will explore how past climate disruptions reveal not only the fragility of orders that failed to adapt, but also the resilience of those that did—offering lessons for how today’s institutions might endure and evolve amid 21st-century instability.
Join us for a conversation that bridges climate history and contemporary geopolitics, asking: can our world order survive the next great climate shock?
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LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is LSE's foreign policy think tank. Through sustained engagement with policymakers and opinion-formers, IDEAS provides a forum that informs policy debate and connects academic research with the practice of diplomacy and strategy.
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