Climate change and the production of ontological security: Towards transformative politics, reflexivity, and emotive agency

Abstract

The literature on ontological security has quickly and extensively widened the debate about the assumptions underwriting security scholarship. In doing so, it has helped advance our understanding of how ontological security can at times outweigh more traditional security concerns. This paper argues, however, that when faced with the existential politics of climate change, the ontological security literature has focused mostly on the production of ontological insecurity through climate change or transitions and not, however, on the possibility of seeking ontological security through addressing climate change, planetary boundaries, and existential risk. This paper remedies this gap by developing an argument that develops corresponding conceptual tenets to those currently underwriting the ontological security literature, namely crises, routines, and anxiety, towards transformative politics, reflexive responsibility, and emotive agency. The move towards the conceptual reframe allows a reformulation for how ontological security can be considered in recognition of planetary boundaries.