Matt Lane

I am Lecturer in Climate Change Mitigation at the University of Edinburgh. I am an economic geographer by background and I study how climate change and the push for environmental sustainability are reshaping global political power and influence. My research and teaching focus on two interconnected areas:

Firstly, how sustainability goals are challenging and redefining the legacies of colonialism and imperialism, particularly through the empowerment of local knowledge and domestic finance as tools for advancing ecological sovereignty and economic independence. I examine how this dynamic is unfolding in nations across the G77, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa.

Secondly, how the complex, cross-border nature of climate change is fostering new forms of leadership that transcend national government. I focus on the emerging role of cities within collaborative economic and ecological alliances designed to directly address the networked, non-territorial nature of climate change as a political challenge. My work in this space has explored contexts ranging from Scotland and the United States, to China, Zambia and Malawi.