Climate Security and Climate Justice: Recognizing Context in the Sahel . Tor A. Benjaminsen
本书以萨赫勒地区为案例，通过37年实地研究，对比气候安全与气候正义两种路径，批判了关于荒漠化的主流叙事，揭示了外国援助背后的政治经济因素。
As the 1.5°C threshold approaches, increased attention is being paid to climate change implications. While acknowledging the gravity of climate change as a significant challenge, it is recognized that approaches to its mitigation may vary across different regions. Drawing on over 37 years of repeated research trips to Mali, Tor A. Benjaminsen’s 2024 book, arranged into six chapters, illustrates the differences between climate security and climate justice approaches by focusing on the Sahel as a case study. According to the author, the Sahel is a purely colonial invention that refers to the transition zone between the Sahara Desert and the more humid, forested areas further south. The prevailing perception among the general public is that the primary challenges being faced by the region are a political and security crisis involving armed ‘jihadist’ insurgencies, and the consequences of climate change, which is leading to a trend of ‘desertification’ on a wide scale (p. 26). Contrary to the description, the Sahel region has undergone an enhancement in vegetative growth following the significant aridification events of the 1970s and 1980s. However, there has been a persistent narrative that global warming and climatic drier conditions have caused desertification over a long period of time in the Sahel region. Apart from the stereotype of the desert, finance is an important factor in the narratives. It includes governments from other countries investing to make their countries look good. As a result of foreign aids, local governments are attracted, as well as NGOs, consultants, and scientists. The author conducted a thorough examination of the literature pertaining to the themes, contextualizing these issues within a historical, political, and environmental framework.