Prof. Dr. Lisa Schipper

Path Dependency: Unpacking the Colonial Roots of SADs and Vulnerability to Climate Change

Amitav Ghosh lays out a strong case for how colonialism planted the first seeds of the climate crisis in his book The Nutmeg's Curse (2021), which has received widespread acclaim from social scientists studying climate change. Indeed, while climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions emerging from the industrial era, Ghosh traces the processes that allowed for resource extraction to historical power imbalances that started with European colonialism. The inequality in global development reinforced by post-World War II politics is equally to blame for making most countries that are now experiencing extreme impacts of climate change as vulnerable as they are now. This is what creates the climate crisis. However, empirical evidence to back up these claims are scant. Indeed, what can we point to as evidence of the role played by colonialism and subsequent colonial dependencies in the impacts of climate change on some of the most vulnerable countries in the world?

Grounded in an understanding of climate change being about failures in development, and climate change impacts as being caused by SADs and vulnerability that has deep roots in power inequalities, this project takes a case study approach to explore how and to what extent colonialism and colonial dependency is directly responsible for climate change vulnerability. The legacy of different models of colonialism will be examined in Benin, Morocco and Senegal (and France) with a comparative case study of Ghana (and Britain). We want to understand how colonialism influenced development path dependency that amplifies climate change impacts. Methods for this study include qualitative data collection through interviews with relevant actors including key informants in each country, development actors in and outside the country (also based in France and Britain), as well as analysis of historical documents and other archival information.

2005
PhD in Development Studies, School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, UK

2000–2001  
MSc in Environment and Development, School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, UK

1993–1997  
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Brown University, USA

since 2023
Professor of Development Geography, University of Bonn, Germany

2017–2022
Environmental Social Science Research Fellow, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, UK

2013–2017
Research Associate, Overseas Development Institute, London, UK

2008–2013
Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute, Asia Centre (Thailand) + UC Centre (California)

2007–2008
Project Manager, Global Change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand 

2005–2007  
Postdoctoral Researcher, International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka

• Adaptation and Development and the Adaptation Hive
• Equity and the Politics of Knowledge
• Culture and Risk

since 2023
Panel Member, European Research Council

since 2023
Member, Climate Adaptation Governance Advisory Board, University of Groningen

since 2022
Advisory Group, CLARE programme, IDRC/FCDO

since 2022
Board of Experts, ERC StG project IMAGINE

since 2021
Reference Group, OECD/DAC's Climate Change Adaptation Governance programme

2019–2023
International Advisory Committee, UNU-INWEH

2019
Science Advisory Group, UN Climate Action Summit

• 2023. With D. Reckien, A.K. Magnan, C. Singh, M. Lukas-Sithole, B. Orlove, and E. Coughlan de Perez. "Navigating the Continuum between Adaptation and Maladaptation." In Nature Climate Change 13: 907–918.
• 2023. With M.F. Rahman, D. Falzon, S. Robinson, L. Kuhl, R. Westoby, J. Omukuti, K. E. McNamara, B.P. Resurreccion, D. Mfiumukiza, and M. Nadiruzzaman. "Locally Led Adaptation (LLA): Promise, Pitfalls and Possibilities." In AMBIO 52: 1543–1557.
• 2022. With A. Revi, B.L. Preston, E.R. Carr, S.H. Eriksen, L.R. Fernandez-Carril, B.C. Glavovic, N.J.M. Hilmi, D. Ley, R. Mukerji, M.S. Muylaert de Araujo, R. Perez, S.K. Rose, and P.K. Singh. "Climate Resilient Development Pathways." In Working Group II contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 6th Assessment Report. IPCC.
• 2021. With N.K. Dubash and Y. Mulugetta. "Climate Change Research and the Search for Solutions: Rethinking Interdisciplinarity." In Climatic Change 168: Article no. 18.
• 2021. With S.E. Eriksen, M. Scoville-Simonds, K. Vincent, H. Nicolai Adam, N. Brooks, B. Harding, D. Khatri, L. Lenaerts, D. Liverman, M. Mills-Novoa, M. Mosberg, S. Movik, B. Muok, A. Nightingale, H. Ojha, L. Sygna, M. Taylor, C. Vogel, and J.J. West. "Adaptation Interventions and their Effect on Vulnerability in Developing Countries: Help, Hindrance or Irrelevance?" In World Development 141.
• 2020. "Maladaptation: When Adaptation to Climate Change Goes Very Wrong." In One Earth 3, (4): 409–414.
• 2020. With S.E. Eriksen, L. Fernandez-Carril, B. Glavovic, and Z. Shawoo. "Turbulent Transformation: Abrupt Societal Disruption and Climate Resilient Development." In Climate and Development 13(6): 467–74.
• 2016. With A. Magnan, M. Burkett, S. Bharwani, I. Burton, S. Eriksen, F. Gemenne, J. Schaar, and G. Ziervogel. "Addressing the Risk of Maladaptation to Climate Change." In WIREs Climate Change 7(5): 646–665.
• 2015. As editor. With F. Krüger, G. Bankoff, T. Cannon, and B. Orlowski. Cultures and Disasters: Understanding Cultural Framings in Disaster Risk Reduction. London: Routledge.
• 2015. With L. Langston. "A Comparative Overview of Resilience Measurement Frameworks: Analysing Indicators and Approaches." In Working Paper 422. ODI.
• 2015. With L. Jones and E. Carabine. "(Re)Conceptualising Maladaptation in Policy and Practice: Towards an Evaluative Framework." In PRISE Working Paper. ODI.
• 2014. With L. Langston. "Gender Equality and Climate Compatible Development Drivers and Challenges to People’s Empowerment." In Working Paper. ODI.
• 2014. With C. Merli and P. Nunn. "Chapter 2: Culture, Beliefs and People's Ways of Perceiving Risk." In World Disasters Report 2014: Focus on Culture and Disasters, edited by T. Cannon, E.L.F. Schipper, G. Bankoff, and F. Krueger. IFRC.
• 2013. As editor. With J. Ayers, H. Reid, S. Huq, and A. Rahman. Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change: Scaling it Up. London: Routledge.
• 2007. With D. Molden, J.-M. Faurès, C.M. Finlayson, H. Gitay, J. Muylwijk, D. Vallée, and D. Coates. "Setting the Scene." In Water for Food, Water for Life: Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, edited by D. Molden, 41–56. Earthscan.
• 2007. With H. McGray, A. Hammill, R. Bradley, and J.E. Parry. "Weathering the Storm: Options for Framing Adaptation and Development." In World Resources Institute (WRI) Report. WRI.