Lorenza Fontana (University of Torino)

Work in Progress Seminar

The Politics of Wildfires: A New Research Agenda

Abstract. Wildfires are worldwide phenomena that have been shaping the environment and life on Earth for millions of years. The global increase in the magnitude and spread of wildfires has inaugurated what experts call a ‘new era of fire.’ In this framework, fires have been couched almost exclusively as ‘natural disasters’ to be mitigated or suppressed. Yet wildfires are much more than that. The ERC-funded FIREPOL project will study fire as a political phenomenon: it will conduct a comprehensive cross-continental investigation into the political drivers of wildfires with a focus on the Global South. FIREPOL will integrate fire policy data, remote sensing, qualitative case studies, and ethnographic research. The aim is to explore the complex interplay of political factors, institutions, power dynamics, and social struggles influencing wildfire distribution, societal impacts, and public narratives. The talk will offer an overview of this research agenda, and its ties to my previous work on wildfire politics in Bolivia and Angola and to my broader research interests and profile.