Climate-changed development: organizing climate risk and response through an economic growth lens

Abstract

Climate-changed development describes how climate change affects the way global South policymakers conceptualize and implement capitalist development into national policies and plans. It signals a different form of development emerging where national governments in the global South play a prominent role in controlling national economic activities through climate-resilient development financing and policy interventions. This specific manifestation of climate-resilient development organizes national responses to climate risk through an economic growth lens. This article examines current critical perspectives on these economizing processes within the context of climate-resilient development. It finds three significant patterns of economization occurring across climate decision-making: capitalizing upon hazards and vulnerability, restructuring national governance, and transitioning to sustainable economies. The review calls for further research that draws attention to national governments’ discursive and technological work to construct profitable climate risk responses.