Staff profile

I joined the Geography Department at Durham in 2009. Prior to that I held appointments at the University of Manchester and at Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario). From 2011-2015 I was Chair of COST Action IS1101 Climate Change and Migration, and from 2013-2016 I was Co-Director of the Institute for Hazard, Risk and Resilience (Durham University). 

Research

My research examines the intersections of race, nature and geography in relation to three broad phenomena: 1) climate change and human migration; 2. mobility and the Anthropocene; and 3. settler colonialism. I'm especially interested in how each relate to questions of humanism, posthumanism, politics, culture and urbanism. Informed by a mix of theoretical perspectives, including postcolonialism, poststructuralism, feminism, anti-racism and Black studies, my work is motivated to ask how political authority is adapting to looming geohistorical phenomena like climate change and the Anthropocene. 

Many of these themes come together in my recently published book The Other of Climate Change: Racial Futurism, Migration, Humanism, which theorises how race and racism shape epistemological discussions about climate change and human migration in the realm of international relations. It examines how race and racism are woven into the tropes, forms of knowledge, and habits of speech that comprise the discourse and what they can tell us about a wider set of concepts including the political, neoliberalism, sovereignty, humanism, race, Blackness, and the international.

I am currently Co-investigator on a major ESRC-funded project called Inclusive Urban Infrastructure with colleagues from Sussex and Durham and our international partners in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Somaliland. This work builds on several other projects with colleagues at Sussex and SOAS: Migrants on the Margins (funded by the Royal Geographical Society), Supporting the Mobility of Trapped Populations (ESRC-DFID funded) and The Unknown City (ESRC-AHRC funded - Forced Displacement Programme). 

Fellowships

• 2014 Institute for Advanced Studies Fellowship, Durham University
• 2006 - 2008 SSHRC Council Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2004 - 2005 SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship Scholarship

Authored book

• The Other of Climate Change: Racial Futurism, Migration, Humanism
  
  Baldwin, W. (2022). The Other of Climate Change: Racial Futurism, Migration, Humanism. Rowman & Littlefield.

Book review

• A Political Space: Reading the Global through Clayoquot Sound
  
  Baldwin, W. (2010). A Political Space: Reading the Global through Clayoquot Sound. The Canadian Geographer, 48(1), 83-84. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1085-9489.2004.bkrev01.x
• Handbook of Global Environmental Politics
  
  Baldwin, W. (2010). Handbook of Global Environmental Politics. Review of European Community and International Environmental Law, 15(1), 118-120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9388.2006.00507.x
• Contentious Geographies: Environmental knowledge, meaning and scale
  
  Baldwin, W. (2010). Contentious Geographies: Environmental knowledge, meaning and scale. Human Geography., 3(2).
• Understories: The Political Life of Forests in Northern New Mexico
  
  Baldwin, W. (2010). Understories: The Political Life of Forests in Northern New Mexico. Journal of Historical Geography, 34(4), 674-675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2008.07.010
• Griffith Taylor: visionary, environmentalist, explorer
  
  Baldwin, W. (2010). Griffith Taylor: visionary, environmentalist, explorer. Journal of Historical Geography, 36(1), 106-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2009.11.002
• Do Glaciers Listen? Local Knowledge, Colonial Encounters and Social Imagination
  
  Baldwin, W. (2007). Do Glaciers Listen? Local Knowledge, Colonial Encounters and Social Imagination. Environmental History, 12(4), 1005-1006. https://doi.org/10.1093/envhis/12.4.1005
• States of Nature: Conserving Canada's Wildlife in the Twentieth Century.
  
  Baldwin, W. (2007). States of Nature: Conserving Canada’s Wildlife in the Twentieth Century. Journal of Historical Geography, 33(3).
• Nature and the City: Making Environmental Policy in Toronto and Los Angeles
  
  Baldwin, W. (2007). Nature and the City: Making Environmental Policy in Toronto and Los Angeles. Historical Geography, 35, 275-277.
• Logjam: Deforestation and the Crisis of Global Governance.
  
  Baldwin, W. (2007). Logjam: Deforestation and the Crisis of Global Governance. Review of European Community and International Environmental Law, 16(3).

Chapter in book

• Climate Crisis
  
  Baldwin, W. A. (in press). Climate Crisis. In The Routledge Handbook of Cultural Geographies. Routledge.
• Race, Migration, and Climate Change: A Cautionary Note
  
  Baldwin, W. A. (2023). Race, Migration, and Climate Change: A Cautionary Note. In Climate Migration: Critical Perspectives for Law, Policy and Research. Hart Publishing.
• Climate change refugees
  
  Baldwin, W. A. (2020). Climate change refugees. In A. Kobayashi (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Human Geography (pp. 275-279). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-102295-5.11000-5
• Introduction: Life adrift
  
  Baldwin, W., & Bettini, G. (2017). Introduction: Life adrift. In W. Baldwin & G. Bettini (Eds.), Life adrift: climate change, migration, critique. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Concluding remarks: on the politics of climate change, migration and human rights
  
  Baldwin, W. (2017). Concluding remarks: on the politics of climate change, migration and human rights. In D. Manou, W. A. Baldwin, D. Cubie, T. Thorp, & A. Mihr (Eds.), Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights: Law and Policy Perspectives. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315622217
• Rearranging desire: on whiteness and heteronormativity
  
  Baldwin, W. (2017). Rearranging desire: on whiteness and heteronormativity. In W. Baldwin & G. Bettini (Eds.), Life adrift: climate change, migration, critique. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Climate change and migration: context, paradox, and future directions.
  
  Baldwin, W., & Gemenne, F. (2013). Climate change and migration: context, paradox, and future directions. In H. Hackmann & F. Caillods (Eds.), World Social Sciences Report 2013.. International Social Sciences Council.
• Environmental Citizenship and Climate Security: Contextualizing Violence and Citizenship in Amazonian Peru
  
  Baldwin, W., & Meltzer, J. (2012). Environmental Citizenship and Climate Security: Contextualizing Violence and Citizenship in Amazonian Peru. In A. Latta & H. Wittman (Eds.), Environment and citizenship in Latin America. (pp. 23-38). Berghahn Journals.
• Where is the Great White North? Spatializing history, historicizing whiteness
  
  Baldwin, W., Cameron, L., & Kobayashi, A. (2011). Where is the Great White North? Spatializing history, historicizing whiteness. In W. Baldwin, L. Cameron, & A. Kobayashi (Eds.), Rethinking the Great White North : race, nature and the historical geographies of whiteness in Canada.. University of British Columbia Press.
• Canadian Middle Power Identity, Environmental Biopolitics, and Human Insecurity
  
  Baldwin, W., & Dalby, S. (2010). Canadian Middle Power Identity, Environmental Biopolitics, and Human Insecurity. In N. Hynek & D. Bosold (Eds.), Canada’s foreign and security policy : soft and hard strategies of a middle power. (pp. 121-137). Oxford University Press.
• Human Security and Canadian Environmental Policy.
  
  Baldwin, W., & Dalby, S. (2010). Human Security and Canadian Environmental Policy. In N. Hynek & D. Bosold (Eds.), Canada’s New Foreign and Security Policy Strategies: Assessing Soft and Hard Dimensions of Middlepowerhood.. Oxford University Press.
• Boreal Forests
  
  Baldwin, W. (2007). Boreal Forests. In P. Robbins (Ed.), Encyclopedia of environment and society. (pp. 153-154). SAGE Publications.
• Agenda 21
  
  Baldwin, W. (2007). Agenda 21. In P. Robbins (Ed.), Encyclopedia of environment and society. (pp. 10-11). SAGE Publications.

Conference Paper

• Pre-empting race: climate change, migration and the future conditional.
  
  Baldwin, W. (2012). Pre-empting race: climate change, migration and the future conditional [Conference paper]. Presented at Critical Approaches to Environmental Displacement, Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford University.
• Whiteness, Nature and Canadian Conservation Politics
  
  Baldwin, W. (2008, May 1). Whiteness, Nature and Canadian Conservation Politics. Presented at International Council for Canadian Studies Biennial Conference, Ottawa.
• Carbon-nation: the relational ontology of carbon scarcity in Canada's boreal forest
  
  Baldwin, W. (2007, April 1). Carbon-nation: the relational ontology of carbon scarcity in Canada’s boreal forest. Presented at Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California.
• The White Geography of Lawren Stewart Harris: whiteness and the performative coupling of wilderness and multiculturalism in Canada
  
  Baldwin, W. (2007, January 1). The White Geography of Lawren Stewart Harris: whiteness and the performative coupling of wilderness and multiculturalism in Canada. Presented at Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.

Edited book

• Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights: Law and Policy Perspectives.
  
  Manou, D., Baldwin, W., Cubie, D., Thorp, T., & Mihr, A. (Eds.). (2017). Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights: Law and Policy Perspectives. Routledge.
• Life Adrift: climate change, migration, critique
  
  Baldwin, W., & Bettini, G. (Eds.). (2017). Life Adrift: climate change, migration, critique. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Rethinking the Great White North: race, nature and the historical geographies of whiteness in Canada
  
  Baldwin, W., Cameron, L., & Kobayashi, A. (Eds.). (2011). Rethinking the Great White North: race, nature and the historical geographies of whiteness in Canada. University of British Columbia Press.

Journal Article

• Racial Futurism: Redux
  
  Baldwin, A. (2025). Racial Futurism: Redux. Environment and Planning F, 4(1), 69-79.
• Calculating ‘climate migrants’: An emerging topology of power
  
  Baldwin, A., & Waters, R. (2025). Calculating ‘climate migrants’: An emerging topology of power. Security Dialogue, 56(1), 21-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/09670106241269714
• Managed Urban Retreat: The Trouble with Crisis Narratives
  
  Rahman, M. F., Lewis, D., Kuhl, L., Baldwin, A., Ruszczyk, H., Nadiruzzaman, M., & Mahid, Y. (2023). Managed Urban Retreat: The Trouble with Crisis Narratives. Urban Geography, 45(1), 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2023.2228094
• Race and Climate Change: Towards Anti-Racist Ecologies
  
  Tilley, L., Ranawana, A., Baldwin, A., & Tully, T. (2023). Race and Climate Change: Towards Anti-Racist Ecologies. Politics, 43(2), 141-152. https://doi.org/10.1177/02633957221127166
• Who is the climate-induced trapped figure?
  
  Ayeb-Karlsson, S., & Baldwin, A. (2022). Who is the climate-induced trapped figure?. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 13(6), Article e803. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.803
• Force and Forcing in Baucom's Heterochronic Philosophy of Freedom for the Anthropocene (Review of History 4° Celsius by Ian Baucom. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2020)
  
  Baldwin, W. A. (2022). Force and Forcing in Baucom’s Heterochronic Philosophy of Freedom for the Anthropocene (Review of History 4° Celsius by Ian Baucom. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2020). Cultural Critique Online, Frame 3.
• Introduction: Whiteness, coloniality, and the Anthropocene
  
  Baldwin, W., & Erickson, B. (2020). Introduction: Whiteness, coloniality, and the Anthropocene. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 38(1), 3-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263775820904485
• Thinking with Protevi: difference, the present, and the political
  
  Baldwin, A. (2019). Thinking with Protevi: difference, the present, and the political. Political Geography, 70, 137-139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2019.02.002
• Climate migration myths
  
  Boas, I., Farbotko, C., Adams, H., Sterly, H., Bush, S., van der Geest, K., Wiegel, H., Ashraf, H., Baldwin, A., Bettini, G., Blondin, S., de Bruijn, M., Durand-Delacre, D., Fröhlich, C., Gioli, G., Guaita, L., Hut, E., Jarawura, F., Lamers, M., … Hulme, M. (2019). Climate migration myths. Nature Climate Change., 9(11), 901-903. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0633-3
• From Climate Migration to Anthropocene Mobilities: Shifting the Debate; Editors introduction
  
  Baldwin, W. A., Fröhlich, C., & Rothe, D. (2019). From Climate Migration to Anthropocene Mobilities: Shifting the Debate; Editors introduction. Mobilities, 14(3), 289-297. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2019.1620510
• Adaptive migration: pluralising the debate on climate change and migration
  
  Baldwin, W., & Fornalé, E. (2017). Adaptive migration: pluralising the debate on climate change and migration. The Geographical Journal, 183(4), 322-328. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12242
• Decolonising geographical knowledges: the incommensurable, the university and democracy
  
  Baldwin, W. (2017). Decolonising geographical knowledges: the incommensurable, the university and democracy. Area, 49(3), 329-331. https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12374
• Resilience and race, or climate change and the uninsurable migrant: towards an anthroporacial reading of ‘race’
  
  Baldwin, W. (2017). Resilience and race, or climate change and the uninsurable migrant: towards an anthroporacial reading of ‘race’. Resilience: International Policies, Practices and Discourses, 5(2), 129-143. https://doi.org/10.1080/21693293.2016.1241473
• Climate change, migration, and the crisis of humanism
  
  Baldwin, W. (2017). Climate change, migration, and the crisis of humanism. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 8(3), Article e460. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.460
• Postcolonial Futures: Climate, Race, and the Yet-to-Come
  
  Baldwin, W. (2017). Postcolonial Futures: Climate, Race, and the Yet-to-Come. Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, 24(2), 292-305. https://doi.org/10.1093/isle/isx008
• Theorising Climate Change and Migration: Affect, Politics and the Future Conditional
  
  Baldwin, W. (2017). Theorising Climate Change and Migration: Affect, Politics and the Future Conditional. Insights, 10-11.
• Premediation and white affect: climate change and migration in critical perspective
  
  Baldwin, W. (2016). Premediation and white affect: climate change and migration in critical perspective. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 41(1), 78-90. https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12106
• Responsibility, politics, and reason: a sympathetic comment on Castree.
  
  Baldwin, W. (2015). Responsibility, politics, and reason: a sympathetic comment on Castree. Dialogues in Human Geography, 5(3), 317-321. https://doi.org/10.1177/2043820615613217
• Securitizing ‘climate refugees’: the futurology of climate-induced migration
  
  Baldwin, W., Methmann, C., & Rothe, D. (2014). Securitizing ‘climate refugees’: the futurology of climate-induced migration. Critical Studies on Security, 2(2), 121-130. https://doi.org/10.1080/21624887.2014.943570
• The political theologies of climate change-induced migration
  
  Baldwin, A. (2014). The political theologies of climate change-induced migration. Critical Studies on Security, 2(2), 210-222. https://doi.org/10.1080/21624887.2014.932509
• Pluralising climate change and migration: an argument in favour of open futures
  
  Baldwin, A. (2014). Pluralising climate change and migration: an argument in favour of open futures. Geography Compass, 8(8), 516-528. https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12145
• Vital ecosystem security: emergence, circulation, and the biopolitical environmental citizen
  
  Baldwin, W. (2013). Vital ecosystem security: emergence, circulation, and the biopolitical environmental citizen. Geoforum, 45, 52-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2012.01.002
• Racialisation and the figure of the climate-change migrant.
  
  Baldwin, W. (2013). Racialisation and the figure of the climate-change migrant. Environment and Planning A, 45(6), 1474-1490. https://doi.org/10.1068/a45388
• Risky natures, natures of risk.
  
  Baldwin, W., & Stanley, A. (2013). Risky natures, natures of risk. Geoforum, 45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2012.12.016
• Whiteness and futurity: towards a research agenda
  
  Baldwin, W. (2012). Whiteness and futurity: towards a research agenda. Progress in Human Geography, 36(2), 172-187. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132511414603
• Interivew with Andrew Baldwin.
  
  Baldwin, W. (2012). Interivew with Andrew Baldwin. Miradas En Movimiento, Special Volume - Naturally Immigrants, 176-182.
• Orientalising environmental citizenship: climate change, migration, and the war on potential.
  
  Baldwin, W. (2012). Orientalising environmental citizenship: climate change, migration, and the war on potential. Citizenship Studies, 16(5-6).
• Wilderness and tolerance in Flora MacDonald Denison: towards a biopolitics of whiteness
  
  Baldwin, W. (2010). Wilderness and tolerance in Flora MacDonald Denison: towards a biopolitics of whiteness. Social and Cultural Geography, 11(8), 883-901. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2010.523842
• Ethnoscaping Canada's Boreal Forest: liberal whiteness and its disaffiliation from colonial space
  
  Baldwin, W. (2009). Ethnoscaping Canada’s Boreal Forest: liberal whiteness and its disaffiliation from colonial space. The Canadian Geographer, 53(4), 427-443. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0064.2009.00260.x
• Carbon nullius and racial rule: race, nature and the cultural politics of forest carbon in Canada
  
  Baldwin, W. (2009). Carbon nullius and racial rule: race, nature and the cultural politics of forest carbon in Canada. Antipode, 41(2), 231-255. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2009.00671.x
• The White Geography of Lawren Stewart Harris: Whiteness and the Performative Coupling of Multiculturalism and Nature in Canada
  
  Baldwin, W. (2009). The White Geography of Lawren Stewart Harris: Whiteness and the Performative Coupling of Multiculturalism and Nature in Canada. Environment and Planning A, 41(3), 529-544. https://doi.org/10.1068/a40110
• An Ethics of Connection: Social-nature in Canada's Boreal Forest
  
  Baldwin, W. (2004). An Ethics of Connection: Social-nature in Canada’s Boreal Forest. Ethics, Place and Environment, 7(3), 185-194. https://doi.org/10.1080/1366879042000332970
• The Nature of the Boreal Forest: Governmentality and Forest-nature
  
  Baldwin, A. (2003). The Nature of the Boreal Forest: Governmentality and Forest-nature. Space and Culture, 6(4), 415-428. https://doi.org/10.1177/1206331203253189

Newspaper/Magazine Article

• Why we should abandon the concept of the 'climate refugee'
  
  Baldwin, W. A. (2022). Why we should abandon the concept of the ’climate refugee’. The Conversation.

Other (Print)

• Alive and afloat.
  
  Baldwin, W., Turhan, E., & Armiero, M. (2016). Alive and afloat. The New Internationalist.

Report

• Agriculture Negotiations at the WTO: Context Setting and Intelligence Report February-April 2001
  
  Baldwin, W. (2001). Agriculture Negotiations at the WTO: Context Setting and Intelligence Report February-April 2001.