Weather, Climate, and the Geographical Imagination

Martin Mahony is a lecturer in human geography at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom. He works on the history of atmospheric science and technology and on the politics of climate change. Samuel Randalls is an associate professor in geography at University College London. His research explores both contemporary and historical relationships between business, science, and the environment, with a particular focus on weather and climate.

If we are to truly understand contemporary climate change and its various social constructions and machinations, we must situate it within a reasonable understanding of the historical context of the measurement, study, portrayals, and uses of climate, both social and scientific. Using the concept of the ‘geographical imagination’ and how that imagination helped produce what was or is known as climate knowledge, provides a useful and perhaps vital frame for understanding that context. These fourteen contributors provide concrete examples of climate knowledge creations and imagination, many in support of the project of British Imperialism. An important volume that forces one to reconsider the ways we’ve always thought about climate.