Publications

Ruins of the Anthropocene: The aesthetics of Arctic climate change. Annals of the American Association of Geographers.

Abstract

In the Anthropocene, ruin appreciation is shifting its focus from crumbling architecture to the deteriorating planet. Whereas Romantic and modern ruin gazing privileged nature’s reconquest of the built environment, now, the carbon-intensive infrastructures of global capitalism are turning nature itself to ruin. By critiquing popular representations of the melting Arctic—a visual trope within Anthropocene aesthetics involving images of shrinking icebergs, melting glaciers, and drowning polar bears—this article explicates how both conceptions of ruins and actual, material processes of ruination are shifting away from manmade infrastructure toward the natural environment. I argue that ruins in the Anthropocene are distinct in that natural ruins, especially icy ones, will not persist on the landscape, particularly as environmental degradation accelerates and is upscaled to encompass entire regions like the Arctic, if not the whole planet. By applying Romantic aesthetic principles, I critique the two dominant categories of representations of the current geological epoch: the picturesque and the sublime. As with Romantic and modern ruin iconography, depictions of Anthropocene ruins harness these elements to induce feelings of awe, melancholy, and resignation. These reactions might now be more problematic, however, because helplessness and passive voyeurism could inhibit action on climate change. I thus conclude that refocusing the Anthropocene gaze on the third aesthetic principle—the beautiful, which emphasizes the tangible and comprehensible—might be more conducive to transforming aesthetics into action and fostering an effective rather than affective ethics of planetary care and stewardship.

 

The opening of the Transpolar Sea Route: Logistical, geopolitical, environmental, and socioeconomic impacts [with Scott R. Stephenson, Kang Yang, Michael T. Bravo, and Bert De Jonghe]. Marine Policy.

Abstract

With current scientific models forecasting an ice-free Central Arctic Ocean (CAO) in summer by mid-century and potentially earlier, a direct shipping route via the North Pole connecting markets in Asia, North America, and Europe may soon open. The Transpolar Sea Route (TSR) would represent a third Arctic shipping route in addition to the Northern Sea Route and Northwest Passage. In response to the continued decline of sea ice thickness and extent and growing recognition within the Arctic and global governance communities of the need to anticipate and regulate commercial activities in the CAO, this paper examines: (i) the latest estimates of the TSR’s opening; (ii) scenarios for its commercial and logistical development, addressing the various transportation systems that could evolve; (iii) the geopolitics of the TSR, focusing on international and national regulations and the roles of Russia, a historic power in the Arctic, and China, an emerging one; and (iv) the environmental and socioeconomic consequences of transpolar shipping for local and Indigenous residents of communities along the TSR’s entrances. Our analysis seeks to inform national and international policymaking with regard to the TSR because although climate change is proceeding rapidly, within typical policymaking timescales, there is still time to prepare for the emergence of the new Arctic shipping corridor.

 

Impacts of green infrastructure on flood risk perceptions in Hong Kong. Climatic Change [lead author: Seung Kim (postdoctoral fellow)].

Abstract

To better address climate unpredictability, green infrastructure is increasingly deployed alongside gray infrastructure as an alternative strategy for flood risk mitigation. Previous research has not clearly distinguished the flood-mitigation effects of green infrastructure at the local scale due to its complex range of functions including socioeconomic benefits, ecosystem services, and amenity value. Using data on 3768 housing sales from 2009 to 2019 in Hong Kong, we employ a difference-in-differences framework to examine the effect of green infrastructure on perceptions of flood risk mitigation, with housing prices as a proxy for risk perception. We find a positive effect of green infrastructure on the value of nearby housing. The effect does not exist in apartment units on higher floors, however. This vertical discrepancy further suggests that the observed pricing effects are due to green infrastructure’s capacity to reduce perceptions of flood risk. By contrast, properties near conventional gray infrastructure show no evidence of such effects. The results thus provide quantitative evidence that supports the ongoing shift toward green infrastructure as a form of climate change adaptation.

 

The rise of Chinese foreign direct investment in the United States: Disentangling investment strategies of state‐owned and private enterprises. Growth and Change [lead author: PhD student Lisha He, with Ronghao Jiang.

Abstract

Over the last two decades, China’s outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) has expanded rapidly. The country is now the world’s second‐largest source of OFDI. China is often viewed as a monolithic investor, however, without sufficient attention to the differences between investments by state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) and private enterprises (PEs). To shed light on the internal complexity and heterogeneity of Chinese OFDI, we construct a panel dataset of investments in the U.S. across the 50 states and Washington, D.C. from 2005 to 2017, which we analyze using a spatial autoregressive model. We find clear evidence that the ownership structure of Chinese firms affects investment strategy and entry mode. Statistical analysis indicates that SOEs are more likely to pursue greenfield investment motivated by market‐seeking and resource‐seeking objectives, while PEs pursue mergers and acquisitions in order to obtain strategic assets. We also detect a positive and significant relationship between the presence of Chinese overseas communities and OFDI, with the strength of the correlation depending on ownership structure. Finally, we find that Chinese OFDI is spatially dependent, meaning that investments flow to states where they are already concentrated nearby.

 

Changes to anthropogenic pressures on reach-scale rivers in South and Southeast Asia from 1990 to 2014. Environmental Research Letters [lead author: Chang Liu, with Kang Yang, Xin Liu, Ziyan Guo, and Manchun Li.

Abstract

Rivers are essential to human livelihoods and agricultural production, yet human usage and irrigation are jeopardizing river sustainability. It is thus crucial to investigate the fine-scaled spatiotemporal dynamics of anthropogenic pressures on rivers. Most research, however, is conducted at the grid-scale, which impedes detailed investigations. In this study, by tracking anthropogenic pressures at the scale of river reaches (the length of river between river confluences) in South and Southeast Asia from 1990 to 2014, we provide new insights into anthropogenic pressures on river reaches using a simple and straightforward approach. We selected human usage (represented by built-up area) and irrigation (represented by irrigated area) as two fundamental indicators of anthropogenic pressure. We divided the study area into 5 × 5 km grids and calculated anthropogenic pressures on each grid to its nearest river reach. Pressures were calculated as the ratio of built-up and irrigated area to the distance between grids and reaches. Groundwater was also included to adjust for additional irrigation-induced pressures on reaches. Anthropogenic pressures on each reach were then calculated by summing pressures from the two indicators of all grids attached to it. Results indicate that >50% of reaches are affected by anthropogenic activities and that average pressures increase by ~15% from 1990 to 2014, with hotspots concentrated in eastern Pakistan and northern India. Irrigation is the dominant pressure on ~33% of reaches, while human usage is dominant for ~24% of reaches. Anthropogenic pressures within transboundary river basins vary longitudinally, increasing as distance from the ocean declines. Pressures also vary significantly with reach size. Although large rivers suffer from greater anthropogenic pressures, they are rising more rapidly for small rivers. Empirically, this study reveals the increasing and heterogeneous nature of anthropogenic pressures on river reaches in South and Southeast Asia. Methodologically, it suggests that reach-scale river sustainability assessment can serve as a promising approach for researching and managing regional and transboundary rivers.

 

Viral borders: COVID-19’s effects on securitization, surveillance, and identity in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Dialogues in Human Geography [lead author: Xiaofeng Liu (PhD student)].

Abstract

As COVID-19 spreads, new processes, forms, and scales of bordering practices are transcending national territorial limits. This commentary critiques how ‘viral borders’ are securitizing the global supply chains of medical products, disciplining citizens, and reterritorializing communities and contemplates the consequences of these practices for the post-pandemic era.

 

Anywhere but here: Experiences of islandness in Pearl River Delta island tourism. Island Studies Journal 15, 205-220 [lead author: Zhikang Wang (graduated MPhil student)].

Abstract

This study considers the phenomenology of ‘islandness’ by analysing the experiences of tourists, islanders, and migrant tourism workers on two Chinese islands in the South China Sea. Although we begin by presuming place to be a phenomenological concept centring on ‘being-in-the-world’, we find that people’s experiences both on and off the islands of Dong’ao and Wailingding engender a desire to ‘be-in-many-worlds’ at once. Findings drawn from three months of ethnographic fieldwork suggest that while tourists privilege ‘being-at-the-seaside’, long-term residents prioritize being both ‘on’ and ‘off’ the island. Meanwhile, migrant tourism workers’ sense of islandness emerges from ‘being-at-the seaside’ and ‘being-on-the-island’. In all cases, we find that islands challenge people’s desires to dwell in just one specific place to which they have an attachment. We argue that this liminal place attachment arises partly because the physical geography of islands, being surrounded by the sea, facilitates movement and may prompt a longing for elsewhere. Our findings have consequences for the phenomenology of place, which assumes that people have an innate desire to be somewhere. Yet thinking through and from islands shows that people equally wish to be somewhere else, too. The manifold human experiences of islandness underscore the need for a more relational phenomenology of place based not just on ‘being-in-the-world’, but rather ‘in-many-worlds’ at once.

 

The making of post‐post‐Soviet ruins: Infrastructure development and disintegration in contemporary Russia. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research.

Abstract

Western journalists and photographers fetishize the infrastructural ruination of the former Soviet Union. While sites like abandoned railway stations are assumed to be artefacts of the country’s collapse in 1991, many of these ruins are actually products of contemporary Russian state policies. This article critiques the way in which Soviet ruins are imagined as archaeological relics of a long‐gone polity by examining the recent political processes that have generated infrastructural obsolescence long after the Soviet collapse. In pursuit of this aim, I draw on an analysis of texts and imagery depicting Soviet ruins and ethnographic fieldwork and observations in the Russian North and Far East. Specifically, I examine infrastructural construction and ruination in Vladivostok, where the federal government spearheaded a multibillion‐dollar megaproject in advance of the 2012 Asia‐Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit for which four new bridges were built. Residents of Podnozhye, a community located on an island to which one of the bridges extends, assert that its construction caused the discontinuation of their ferry service to Vladivostok, which consequently rendered infrastructure and amenities along the waterfront obsolete. This dynamic indicates that while ruins often denote the reversal of development, development itself can prompt decay and disintegration, too.

 

Is a pixel worth 1000 words? Critical remote sensing and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Political Geography 78, 102127

Abstract

As a novel means of researching China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), this article advances a critical remote sensing agenda that connects the view from above provided by satellite imagery with the grounded, qualitative methodologies more typical of political geography such as ethnographic fieldwork. Satellite imagery is widely used to produce empirics relating to the BRI, and the Chinese state is showing increasing interest in applying Earth observation data to governance. A more critical approach attentive to the politics of remote sensing, especially in light of China’s emergence as a space and satellite power and its embrace of big data, is needed to more precisely reveal what changing pixels represent on the ground and expose the potential issues with data captured from high above the planet. This paper offers three theoretical and methodological objectives for critical remote sensing. First, I reflect on the geopolitics involved in the production and analysis of satellite imagery. Second, through analysis of night light imagery, which captures illuminated anthropogenic activities, I interrogate metanarratives of development. Third, I engage with qualitative methods by “ground-truthing” remote sensing with ethnographic observations along China’s borders. I also seek to avoid the methodological nationalism often present in remote sensing research by situating these mixed-methods case studies at scales above and below the nation-state. As one of the largest development interventions in history materializes, pursuing critical remote sensing can create opportunities for social scientists to leverage quantitative and geospatial methods in support of more equitable and sustainable futures.

 

Automated extraction of built-up areas by fusing VIIRS nighttime lights and Landsat-8 data. Remote Sensing 11(13), 1571 [lead author: Chang Liu, with Kang Yang, Ziyan Guo, Liang Chang, and Manchun Li].

Abstract

As the world urbanizes and builds more infrastructure, the extraction of built-up areas using remote sensing is crucial for monitoring land cover changes and understanding urban environments. Previous studies have proposed a variety of methods for mapping regional and global built-up areas. However, most of these methods rely on manual selection of training samples and classification thresholds, leading to low extraction efficiency. Furthermore, thematic accuracy is limited by interference from other land cover types like bare land, which hinder accurate and timely extraction and monitoring of dynamic changes in built-up areas. This study proposes a new method to map built-up areas by combining VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) nighttime lights (NTL) data and Landsat-8 multispectral imagery. First, an adaptive NTL threshold was established, vegetation and water masks were superimposed, and built-up training samples were automatically acquired. Second, the training samples were employed to perform supervised classification of Landsat-8 data before deriving the preliminary built-up areas. Third, VIIRS NTL data were used to obtain the built-up target areas, which were superimposed onto the built-up preliminary classification results to obtain the built-up area fine classification results. Four major metropolitan areas in Eurasia formed the study areas, and the high spatial resolution (20 m) built-up area product High Resolution Layer Imperviousness Degree (HRL IMD) 2015 served as the reference data. The results indicate that our method can accurately and automatically acquire built-up training samples and adaptive thresholds, allowing for accurate estimates of the spatial distribution of built-up areas. With an overall accuracy exceeding 94.7%, our method exceeded accuracy levels of the FROM-GLC and GUL built-up area products and the PII built-up index. The accuracy and efficiency of our proposed method have significant potential for global built-up area mapping and dynamic change monitoring.

 

Indigenous perceptions of climate anomalies in Malaysian Borneo. Global Environmental Change 58(3-4), 340-377 [lead author: Terry van Gevelt, with H. Abok, S.D. Fam, F. George, N. Kulathuramaiyer, C.T. Low and T. Zaman].

Abstract

Local perceptions of climate anomalies influence adaptation behaviour. Specifically, perceptions that are more accurate and homogenous at the community-level are more likely to facilitate the collective action required to adapt to the local effects of climate anomalies experienced by many indigenous communities. We combine primary data on perceptions of climate anomalies from 200 individuals in six Penan villages in Sarawak, Malaysia with instrumental climate data. We find that perceptions of climate anomalies vary substantially in terms of occurrence and magnitude, and do not generally correlate with instrumental climate data. We operationalise the Penan forest sign language (Oroo’) as a measure of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and find only weak evidence of a systematic statistical association with perceptions of climate anomalies among our sampled respondents. Our findings suggest caution in advancing adaptation strategies in indigenous communities that are predominantly premised on TEK. Instead, our findings suggest that in designing adaptation measures, indigenous communities may benefit by engaging in forums where community members and external stakeholders can come together, share their perceptions and observations of climate change, and reach a collective consensus on the community-level effects of climate change and pathways towards adaptation.

 

Chinese infrastructure diplomacy in Russia: The geopolitics of project type, location, and scale. Eurasian Geography and Economics 59(3-4), 340-377 [lead author: undergraduate mentee Fanqi Jia].

Abstract

The Chinese government actively engages in infrastructure diplomacy, with the state financing and constructing capital goods multilaterally under the Belt and Road Initiative and bilaterally in countries like Russia. There, Chinese infrastructure diplomacy is making inroads, especially in Russia’s transportation and energy sectors. New bridges and pipelines will soon link the two countries across the Amur River border. While some scholars see infrastructure diplomacy as dependent on bilateral relations, we argue that the type, location and scale of a project also affect its implementation. By analyzing government documents and media reports, we consider Chinese infrastructure projects in Russia across two categories – energy and transportation – and two locations – cross-border and interior – to answer three questions. First, what distinguishes bilateral cooperation in transportation infrastructure from bilateral cooperation in energy infrastructure? Second, how does cooperation on cross-border projects differ from projects located wholly within the recipient country’s territory? Third, what is the significance of the imagined scale of a project for its realization? We conclude that energy projects in a country’s interior are more likely to succeed than cross-border transportation projects. This finding suggests Chinese efforts to enhance infrastructural and “people-to-people” ties in cross-border locations may prove problematic.

 

From state-initiated to indigenous-driven infrastructure: The Inuvialuit and Canada’s first highway to the Arctic Ocean. World Development 109 (134-148).

Abstract

Between 2010 and 2050, the world’s combined road and rail network will grow an estimated 60%. National governments are building many of these roads, which are often perceived as disenfranchising Indigenous communities. Yet in the Canadian Arctic’s Mackenzie Delta, a joint venture between two Indigenous-owned construction and transportation companies built the first public highway in North America to the Arctic Ocean, which opened in November 2017. This research, based on qualitative fieldwork in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region where the highway was constructed, challenges ideas that roads are invariably top-down initiatives which negatively impact Indigenous peoples and their lands. Inuvialuit community leaders lobbied for this road project and succeeded in winning CAD $299 million in government funding to construct the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway. They leveraged opportunities afforded by land claims treaties and shifting geopolitics in the warming Arctic, which turned their region into a frontier of renewed national and global interest, to accumulate funding. Strategically, they discursively rescaled a road they sought to promote economic development and improve local mobility between two communities into a highway of national importance. This study thus extends work on tribal capitalism to explore the place-based dynamics of Indigenous political economies. It unpacks the scale-oriented strategies Indigenous peoples use to advocate for new roads and increased connectivity, finding that these discourses and practices can complement the state’s promotion of nation-building and market capitalism in frontier spaces. This research also suggests that more attention is required to the circumstances in which Indigenous peoples initiate or become partners in infrastructure development rather than examining only instances of resistance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Climate change and the opening of the Transpolar Sea Route: Logistics, governance, and wider geo-economic, societal and environmental impacts [with Scott R. Stephenson, Kang Yang, Michael T. Bravo, and Bert De Jonghe]. The Arctic and World Order (Eds. Dan S. Hamilton & Kristina Spohr). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

 

De glace, de fumée et d’acier : La géo-ingénierie chinoise sur la route de la soie polaire. Les nouvelles routes de la soie : Géopolitique d’un grand projet chinois (Eds. Frédéric Lasserre, Éric Mottet, & Barthélémy Courmont). Montreal, QC, Canada: Presses de l’Université de Québec [in French].