INTERVIEW – In a recently published essay, Towards war ecologythe philosopher explains how ecology becomes an issue of power and rivalry between nations. An enlightening diagnosis at a time when the war in Ukraine puts the climate issue back at the heart of the geopolitical game.
A graduate and doctor of philosophy, Pierre Charbonnier is a research fellow at the CNRS and a lecturer at Sciences Po. He published “Towards the ecology of war. An environmental history of peace” (La Découverte).
LE FIGARO. – Your book is based on the premise that peace, based on increased trade and the exploitation of natural resources, has been built to the detriment of the climate and the environment. How did you come to formulate this thesis? ?
Pierre CHARBONNIER. – My thesis may seem strange; however, it is obvious. We only need to look at the curves of energy consumption levels to see that they exploded after the Second World War. The massive deployment of fossil fuel infrastructure from 1945 onwards was based on a reflection on the failure of the post-First World War pacification process. We realized that it was not enough to say that war was forbidden or illegitimate…
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