Global Friday Presents
Dr. Gabrielle Daoust
Assistant Professor, Global and International Studies
UNBC

Abstract: Over the past decade, Lake Chad – located between Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria – has been held up in international discussions as a key example of the conflict and security implications of climate change. Narratives about the role of climate change in conflict around Lake Chad have been advanced by heads of state in the region, regional institutions, UN agencies, external political leaders, think tanks, and others, tied to a range of geopolitical, economic, and climate-related agendas – despite the absence of meaningful evidence. In the context of these broader discussions, women leaders and activists from the region have mobilised ‘climate (in)security’ narratives to advance their own demands for environmental and climate action, gender justice, Indigenous rights, and more. In this talk, I’ll examine the broader emergence and circulation of narratives about climate change and conflict in the Lake Chad region, the ways in which key women leaders and activists have defined and discussed ideas of climate (in)security, and what these narratives might tell us to about the meaning, nature, and experiences of climate-related (in)security.

Speaker's Bio: Dr. Gabrielle Daoust’s research focuses on the political economy of conflict, peace-building, and development (with a focus on education development); the relationships between environmental and climate change, water, and insecurity (including implications for conflict and migration); and experiences of violence in international intervention. Their research focuses particularly on the Lake Chad region and Sudan and South Sudan. For the past 10 years, they have been involved in numerous policy- and practice-focused research projects with international organizations such as UNICEF and with government bodies in the UK. Dr. Daoust completed their PhD and postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of International Relations at the University of Sussex (UK).

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