Comment archive

Thursday, 2 Jul 2020
The Past Shall not Begin – Frozen Seeds, Extended Presents, and the Politics of Reversibility

  In 2008, the first global seed bank—the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (SGSV)—went into operation. Even before its opening, the SGSV had already attracted media attention and provoked all kinds of theological and eschatological parables. The SGSV quickly received the nickname ‘Doomsday Vault’ while some commentators spoke of a ‘Noah’s ...

Friday, 15 Dec 2017
War-Making, International Law and Environmental Infrastructure

By: Jeannie L Sowers, Erika Weinthal, and Neda Zawahri The extensive targeting of civilian water and energy infrastructures by a range of state and non-state actors, including regional powers and armed groups, has marked the post-2011 wars in the Middle East and North Africa. The effects on human welfare and ...

Sunday, 10 Dec 2017
Making the Invisible Visible – Satellites, Visual Technologies and Environmental Security

By Delf Rothe How can satellites promise to predict future environmental risks and threats? Global warming and resulting environmental changes are unfolding at an ever-faster pace. Natural disasters threaten the well-being of communities across the globe and debates around whether environmental change can (or should) be considered security risks are ...