Dr. Tim Ball of DrTimBall.com joins us again to continue our ongoing exploration of geography, climate and politics. In this conversation we explore 20th century geopolitical theories and theorists, from Ratzel’s Lebensraum to Mackinder’s “Heartland” to Spykman’s “Rimland” to Cohen’s “Divided World.” We also explore the rise of NATO in the mid-20th century and the role of the BRICS in shaping the world of the 21st.
For previous editions of this interview series, please see part one and part two.
Vast Unoccupied Areas Exist In World
There is no doubt humans alter the world; however, it is far less than depicted in environmentalist reports and documentaries. The world map shows vast areas virtually unoccupied. Years ago, while on a search in northern Canada for a missing US private airplane, the brother of a missing passenger flew as a spotter. By noon he angrily accused us of flying in circles. We had actually covered most of Wood Buffalo National Park (Figure 1), which is three times larger than Connecticut. It all looked the same with no evidence of humans at all. We flew him back to Fort Chipewyan along the Peace River letting him follow on a map. His only comment on landing was, “I will never worry about overpopulation again.”
Most of the world is essentially unoccupied and populations are confined to coastal plains and deltas. Major questions include “how much and how detrimental are the impacts of human activity?” and “why are human impacts considered unnatural?” The answers are complicated by an underlying assumption of the new religion of environmentalism that humans shouldn’t be here, so anything they do is wrong. The other is that the ‘damage’ is irredeemable. It is complicated by political exploitation from the Club of Rome through to the IPCC.
A huge deficiency in the debate is the lack of detailed reconstruction of natural conditions before human impact. We still have extremely limited information and understanding about nature and natural mechanisms. This is especially true about climate. (About Tim Ball’s Site)
Recommended Reading
- Influences of Geographic Environment: On the Basis of Ratzel’s System of Anthropo-Geography
- World Conquest : The Heartland Theory of Halford J. Mackinder
- Spykman’s World
- Geography and politics in a world divided
- The Influence of Alfred Thayer Mahan Upon The Imperial Japanese Navy
SF Source Corbett Report Mar 18 2015