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PhD Thesis proposal
Climate politics from below: The climate jobs campaign as a social movement response to global climate governance
Supervisor/s: Stefania Barca e Emanuele Leonardi
Funding:
Climate change has become one of the key societal challenges of our era because of its impacts on natural, human and social systems, leading therefore to multiple alerts from the global scientific community and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Those alerts, based on evidences that humans are in large part responsible of the current rise in global GHG emissions that are causing global warming, call the global community to act urgently to avoid the planet from reaching the point of non-return as far as climate change is concerned. Nevertheless, despite the importance and urgency of the matter, it is still quite difficult to conceive strong consensual global measures to fight this phenomenon mostly for two main reasons: 1) The State-centered approach of the current global climate arena that has contributed in putting the majority of world population, especially the most vulnerable, at the periphery of global climate decision-making processes; 2) the reliance on the neoliberal market to solve the crisis created by the neoliberal system of production and consumption. These approaches, as we can learn from the experience of more than two decades of global climatopolitics from above (led by States and market), have resulted in further commodification of nature rather than reduction of global emissions as intended. To revert the situation and push governments to action, there have been an increasing number of mobilizations from below (led by grassroots and labour movements). Among those mobilizations, we can mention the One Million Climate Jobs Campaign (OMCJC), an initiative bringing together trade unions, labour, social movements, religious movements, environmental/environmental justice movements among others in a common platform to fight for Just Transition to a post-carbon society. My use of the South African OMCJC is instrumental in showcasing the strengths and internal contradictions of such project, while the Portuguese Empregos para o Clima (jobs for the climate) provides empirical materials to study how a climate jobs campaign is organized and implemented in specific contexts. For the purpose of this research situated within the realm of Political Ecology of global climate governance, I use the Extended Case Method supplemented by techniques such as semi-structured interviews, direct observation and ethnographic notes-taking, and retrieval of scientific/grey literature to collect the data needed for the analysis.
Keywords: Climate politics, Climate Jobs, Social Movements, Climate justice, Social Movement Unionism
Books
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2016), Vulnérabilité humaine et enjeux climatiques internationaux: De la climatopolitique internationale aux droits de l’Homme. Saint-Denis: Connaissances et Savoirs.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2011), Dieu, comme un objet commercial. Berlin: Editions Universitaires Européennes.
Book chapters
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2017), Imposed democracy and ‘competitive authoritarian regime’ in Cameroon: Failure of an international contemporary practice, in Piot-Lepetit I. (org.), Cameroon in the 21st Century: Prospects and Challenges.. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 91-100.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2015), Changement climatique et droits humains fondamentaux: Vers une climatopolitique anthropocentrée , in Minata B., Kassay J., Kenfack C. E. and Lowe P. (org.), Environnement, changement climatique et sécurité alimentaire en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre : compréhension des enjeux et pistes pour l’avenir. . Dakar: CODESRIA.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2013), Perspectives pour une climatopolitique anthropocentrée , in Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (org.), Enjeux environnementaux et économiques face à la gouvernance mondiale. Presses Universitaires de Yaoundé, 137- 146.
Book reviews
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2017) critical review to Marta Araújo and Silvia Rodríguez Maeso (2015), The contours of eurocentrism: race, history, and political texts: Lexington Books, 252, in Ethnic and Racial Studies, 551-552.
Papers in scientific journals
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2016), "REDD+ and participatory processes in the Congo Basin Forests Countries: A critical reading of the appropriation of the Free Prior Informed Consent", International Journal of Political Science, 2, 4, 18-27.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2015), "Climate Migrants: Victims and Actors of Environmental Violence", Human Welfare, 4, 11-22.
Bharwani, Sukaina ; Coll Besa, Mònica ; Taylor, Richard ; Fischer, Michael ; Devisscher, Tahia ; Chrislain , Kenfack (2015), "Identifying Salient Drivers of Livelihood Decision-Making in the Forest Communities of Cameroon: Formalising Empirical Evidence for Use in a Social Simulation Models", Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 18 (1) 3.
Presentations in scientific events
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2015), Changing environment, just transition and Job creation: Learning from the ‘One Million Climate Jobs Campaign’ of South Africa, paper presented at VII Latino-American and Caribbean Conference of Social Sciences, Medellin- Colombia, 09 to 13 November.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2015), Climate Migrants: Victims and Actors of Environmental Violence, paper presented at International Conference on “Human Migration and the Environment: Futures, Politics, Invention , Durham- England, 28 June 01 July.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2015), Imposed democracy and “competitive authoritarian regime” in Cameroon: Failure of an international contemporary practice., paper presented at V International Colloquium of CES Doctoral Students , Faculty of Economics- University of Coimbra, 20 to 21 March.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2014), Climate Migrants: Victims and Actors of Environmental Violence, paper presented at Entitle Writting Workshop, University of Coimbra- Portugal, 21 to 21 April.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2011), Changements climatiques et droits humain fondamentaux: vers une climatopolitique anthropocentrée, paper presented at XIIIth General Assembly of CODESRIA, Rabat- Morocco, 05 to 09 December.
Working papers
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2015), "Changement climatique dans le Bassin du Congo: Informations et connaissances échangées entre les acteurs", CIFOR, Document de Travail .
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2012), "Adaptation et atténuation en République du Congo : Acteurs et processus politiques", Centre for International Forestry Research, 99.
Other Publications
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2015), "Buying reasonably: A smart individual effort to fight climate change", Ecoguide online Publication. http://whatsyourimpact.org/the-eco-guide/buying-reasonably-smart-individual-effort-fight-climate-change .
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2013), "The Virunga landscape", Centre for International Forestry Reseach, Brief , 18.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2013), "The Monte alén/ Monts de Cristal landscape", Centre for International Forestry Reseach, Brief , 20.
Advanced training courses
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2015), participation in Online Course on Climate Justice, University of East Anglia.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2015), participation in Online course on Carbon Trading, World Bank Institute.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2014), participation in Entitle Spring school on Social Movements, Lund- Sweden, European Network of Political Ecology.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2014), participation in Online course on Cultural Sustainability, European Network on Cultural Sustainability.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2011), participation in Online Formation on Climate Change Diplomacy, Geneva, UNITAR.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2010), participation in Online Formation on the defense of human rights and dignity , Nairobi, World Youth Alliance.
Chrislain-Eric, Kenfack (2007), participation in Formation as a sociocultural animator, Mbalmayo- Cameroon, Centre de Formation des Animateurs Socioculturels.
Research Projects
2014-11-03 - 2015-08-03 - "Tri Continental South- South scholarship grant 2014 "Work and Welfare in the South"", coordinated by Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and the International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs)., sponsored by SIDA.
2011-04-30 - 2015-04-30 - "Congo Basin Forests and Climate change: Synergies Between Adaptation and Mitigation (COBAM)", coordinated by Dr ANNE MARIE TIANI, sponsored by African Development Bank.
2006-04-01 - 2011-06-30 - "Congo Basin Forests and Climate change Adaptation (COFCCA)", coordinated by Dr. DENIS SONWA, sponsored by CRDI.
Networks
Council for the Development of Social Sciences Research in Africa (CODESRIA)
Pax Romana, working group on Climate change and Human rights dimensions
World Youth Alliance
Young Volunteers for the Environment, Cameroon Branch
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