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In an effort to better understand why some societies cannot cope with severe environmental stress, Dr. Homer-Dixon then studied the sources of, and impediments to, technological and institutional innovation. This work produced a theory of innovation drawing on [[endogenous growth theory]] in economics and centered on the concept of the “ingenuity gap.” First introduced in an article in ''Population and Development Review''<ref>''[http://www.popcouncil.org/publications/pdr.asp Population and Development Review].''</ref> in 1995, it provided a way of advancing beyond the sterile debate between Neo-Malthusians and economists over resource limits to economic growth.<ref>Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “The Ingenuity Gap: Can Poor Countries Adapt to Resource Scarcity?” ''Population and Development Review'', Vol. 21, No. 33 (September 1995).</ref>
In an effort to better understand why some societies cannot cope with severe environmental stress, Dr. Homer-Dixon then studied the sources of, and impediments to, technological and institutional innovation. This work produced a theory of innovation drawing on [[endogenous growth theory]] in economics and centered on the concept of the “ingenuity gap.” First introduced in an article in ''Population and Development Review''<ref>''[http://www.popcouncil.org/publications/pdr.asp Population and Development Review].''</ref> in 1995, it provided a way of advancing beyond the sterile debate between Neo-Malthusians and economists over resource limits to economic growth.<ref>Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “The Ingenuity Gap: Can Poor Countries Adapt to Resource Scarcity?” ''Population and Development Review'', Vol. 21, No. 33 (September 1995).</ref>
At this point, Dr. Homer-Dixon committed a decade of his career to sharing his research in two general-interest books. ''[[The Ingenuity Gap]]'', published simultaneously in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom in 2000, elaborated his general theory of innovation. ''[[The Upside of Down]]: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization'', published in Canada and the United States in 2006 and in the United Kingdom and Australia in 2007, examined the causes of societal collapse (including innovation failures in energy supply), the likelihood of collapse in our modern world, and ways such outcomes might be turned to humankind’s advantage.


Most recently, Dr. Homer-Dixon edited ''Carbon Shift: How the Twin Crises of Oil Depletion and Climate Change will Define Our Future'' (2009)<ref>[[Carbon Shift (book)]].</ref>. In the book, six Canadian analysts from varied disciplines outline their views on the central debates over future energy availability and the economics of climate change.
Most recently, Dr. Homer-Dixon edited ''Carbon Shift: How the Twin Crises of Oil Depletion and Climate Change will Define Our Future'' (2009)<ref>[[Carbon Shift (book)]].</ref>. In the book, six Canadian analysts from varied disciplines outline their views on the central debates over future energy availability and the economics of climate change.

Revision as of 05:10, 25 September 2012

Thomas Homer-Dixon (born in 1956 in Victoria, British Columbia) currently holds the Centre for International Governance Innovation[1] Chair of Global Systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs[2] in Waterloo, Ontario. He is Director of the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation[3] at the University of Waterloo, and Professor in the Centre for Environment and Business in the Faculty of Environment, with a cross-appointment to the Political Science Department in the Faculty of Arts. He previously held the George Ignatieff Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies[4] at the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies[5] at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Homer-Dixon’s research is highly interdisciplinary, focusing on threats to global security in the 21st century and on how societies adapt to complex economic, ecological, and technological change.[6] [7]

Early life

Homer-Dixon was raised in a rural area outside Victoria, British Columbia.[8] In his late teens and early twenties, he gained first-hand knowledge of Canada’s oil industry while working as a roughneck on oil rigs, a laborer in gas refineries, and a welder’s helper on pipeline construction. In 1980, he received a B.A. in Political Science from Carlton University in Ottawa. He then established the Canadian Student Pugwash organization,[9] a movement that provided Canadian university students with a forum for discussion of issues of science, ethics, and public policy. He was accepted into the Ph.D. program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where his studies focused on international relations, defense and arms control policy, philosophy of science, cognitive science and conflict theory. He completed his Ph.D. in 1989. In the concluding years of his graduate studies, and as a postdoctoral fellow before leaving Cambridge, he began studying energy economics and the science of climate change.

Work

Teaching

Dr. Homer-Dixon began his teaching career at the University of Toronto in 1990 to lead several research projects examining links between environmental stress and violence in poor countries.[10] In 1993, he joined the faculty of University College and the Department of Political Science, progressing to full professor status in 2006. During this time, he was Director of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program, University College, moving on to be the Director of the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies until 2007. In 2008, Dr. Homer-Dixon moved to the University of Waterloo, Ontario to assume the role as the Centre for International Governance Innovation Chair of Global Systems at the newly created Balsillie School of International Affairs.[11] [12] He is also a full professor in the Faculty of the Environment and the Faculty of Arts, as well as the Director of the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation. His work at both Universities involved supervising and sharing research experience with over 40 Ph.D. students.

Research and Writing

In the 1990’s, at the University of Toronto, Dr. Homer-Dixon pioneered the study of the links between environmental stress and violent conflict. Two seminal articles in the MIT journal International Security identified underlying mechanisms by which scarcities of natural resources like cropland and fresh water could contribute to insurgency, ethnic clashes, terrorism, and genocide in poor countries.[13] [14] The research emerging from these articles eventually involved 100 researchers on four continents [15] [16] and influenced policy debates about national and international security.[17] [18] Dr. Homer-Dixon’s first book, Environment, Scarcity, and Violence (Princeton University Press, 1999) summarized the results of this research and became a standard reference in the literature on environmental security.

In an effort to better understand why some societies cannot cope with severe environmental stress, Dr. Homer-Dixon then studied the sources of, and impediments to, technological and institutional innovation. This work produced a theory of innovation drawing on endogenous growth theory in economics and centered on the concept of the “ingenuity gap.” First introduced in an article in Population and Development Review[19] in 1995, it provided a way of advancing beyond the sterile debate between Neo-Malthusians and economists over resource limits to economic growth.[20]

Most recently, Dr. Homer-Dixon edited Carbon Shift: How the Twin Crises of Oil Depletion and Climate Change will Define Our Future (2009)[21]. In the book, six Canadian analysts from varied disciplines outline their views on the central debates over future energy availability and the economics of climate change.

Since complex systems theory currently informs his work, he established the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation. There, he has initiated three linked research projects: on the technological and social implications of rapid reduction in carbon emissions; on the consequences of a shift to a zero-growth global economy; and on how Internet-based open-source practices might support democratic problem solving.[22] [23] These projects’ first products, in the form of scholarly articles, were scheduled to begin publication in 2012.

Impact

In the mid-1990s, Dr. Homer-Dixon’s research on the links between environmental stress and conflict[24] initiated work on the topic around the globe. His findings also influenced policy debates in the Clinton Administration,[25] where he and his research team briefed senior officials in the National Security Council, the State Department, the United States Department of Defense, and the CIA, as well as cabinet members and the Vice President, Al Gore.[26] [27] Consequently, the US federal government established several policy working groups and research programs to study the implications of environmentally induced conflict.[28]

His conceptual framework continues to be used as a tool to analyze the links between climate change and international security. In April 2007, prior to the open Security Council debate on these links, Dr. Homer-Dixon briefed Security Council delegations on his framework at the request of the United Kingdom (then Chair of the Security Council).[29]

Closer to home, Dr. Homer-Dixon’s research has directly influenced public policy nationally,[30] provincially,[31] [32] and locally.[33] Over the last decade, he has spoken to academic, business, and lay audiences across Canada about such topics as energy,[34] the economy,[35] climate change,[36] the dangers of complex terrorism, and the increasing need for resilience and innovation.[37] [38]

Selected Writings, Presentation, Interviews

Selected Invited Presentations and Papers since 2000
  • “Global Change, Creativity, and Resilience: Outsourcing in a Turbulent World,” keynote address at the 2010 Annual Conference of the Centre for Outsourcing Research & Education, Toronto, Ontario, April 22, 2010.[39]
  • “Climate Change and the Renewal of Civilization,” keynote address at the Conference on The Great Transformation: Climate change as cultural change, June 8, Essen, Germany, Essen, Germany, June 8, 2009.
  • "Uncertainty, Lags, and Nonlinearity: Challenges to Governance in a Turbulent World," address at the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, Oxford University, UK, May 7 2009.[40]
  • “A Theory of Societal Collapse: Convergent Stress, Thermodynamic Disequilibrium, and Brittleness,” Winchester Lecture, Oxford University, UK, May 6, 2009.
  • “Climate Change, the Arctic, and Canada: Avoiding Yesterday’s Analysis of Tomorrow’s Crisis,” 20th Anniversary Conference of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, Ottawa, Ontario, Oct. 30, 2008.
  • “Conflict in a Nonlinear World: Complex Adaptation at the Intersection of Energy, Climate, and Security,” Ingar Moen Memorial Lecture, Science & Technology Symposium, Defence Research and Development Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, April 25, 2007.
  • “Ingenuity Theory: Adapting to Complexity,” Carl Gustaf Bernhard Lecture, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden, April 27, 2005.
  • “Ingenuity Theory: Can Humankind Create a Sustainable Civilization?” Royal Society, London, England, October 2, 2003.
  • “Synchronous Failure: The Real Danger of the 21st Century,” Robert J. Pelosky, Jr., Distinguished Speaker Series, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, November 25, 2002.[41]
  • “The Rise of Complex Terrorism,” New America Foundation, Washington, DC, February 21, 2002.[42]
  • “The Ingenuity Gap and Its Implications for Development Policy,” World Bank, Washington, DC, May 8, 2001.
  • “The Links between Environmental Scarcity and Violent Conflict: The State of the Field,” British Foreign Office Conference, Wilton Park, UK, March 2, 2001.
From Peer-reviewed Books
  • “Environmental Scarcities and Civil Violence,” with Tom Deligiannis, in Facing Global Environmental Change: Environmental, Human, Energy, Food, Health and Water Security Concepts, eds. Brauch, Hans Günter; Oswald Spring, Úrsula; Grin, John; Mesjasz, Czeslaw; Kameri-Mbote, Patricia; Behera, Navnita Chadha; Chourou, Béchir; Krummenacher, Heinz, Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, vol. 4 (Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer-Verlag, 2008).[43]
  • “The Environment and Violent Conflict: A Response to Gleditsch,” with Daniel Schwartz (first author) and Tom Deligiannis, chapter 13 in Environmental Conflict, eds. Paul Diehl and Nils Petter Gleditsch (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2001).
  • Environment, Scarcity, and Violence (Princeton University Press, 1999).
  • “Environmental Change, Global Security, and U.S. Policy,” with Jeffrey Boutwell, American Defense Annual 1994, ed. Joe Kruzel (Lexington, 1994).
  • “Physical Dimensions of Global Change,” chapter 2 in Global Accord: Environmental Challenges and International Responses, ed. Nazli Choucri (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1993).
From Peer-reviewed Journals
  • "The Newest Science: Replacing Physics, Ecology Will Be the Master Science of the 21st Century," Alternatives Journal 35, no. 4 (2009): 8-38.[44]
  • “Strategies for the Study of Causation in Complex Ecological-Political Systems,” The Journal of Environment & Development 5, no. 2 (Spring 1996): 132-48.
  • “The Ingenuity Gap: Can Poor Countries Adapt to Resource Scarcity?” Population and Development Review 21, no. 3 (September 1995): 587-612.[45]
  • "Environmental and Demographic Threats to Canadian Security,” Canadian Foreign Policy 2, no. 2 (Fall 1994): 7-40.
  • “Environmental Scarcities and Violent Conflict: Evidence from Cases,” International Security 19, no. 1 (Summer 1994): 5-40.
  • “On the Threshold: Environmental Changes as Causes of Acute Conflict,” International Security 16, no. 2 (Fall 1991): 76-116.
  • “Environmental Change, Economic Decline, and Civil Strife in Developing Countries,” International Studies Notes (Spring 1991).
  • “Graphical Argument Analysis: A New Approach to Understanding Argument, Applied to a Debate about the Window of Vulnerability,” with Roger Karapin, International Studies Quarterly 33, no. 4 (December 1989): 389-410.
  • “A Common Misapplication of the Lanchester Square Law: A Research Note,” International Security 12, no. 1 (Summer 1987).
Significant Publications
  • “Detecting and Coping with Disruptive Shocks in Arctic Marine Systems: A Resilience Approach to Place and People,” with Eddy Carmack, et al., AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment 41 (2012): 56-65.
  • “Tipping Toward Sustainability: Emerging Pathways of Transformation,” with Frances Westley, et al., Ambio 40 (2011): 762–780.
  • “A Straw Man in the Wind: A Response to David Victor,” The National Interest (January-February, 2008).
  • “Positive Feedbacks, Dynamic Ice Sheets, and the Recarbonization of the Global Fuel Supply: The New Sense of Urgency about Global Warming,” Chapter 2 in A Globally Integrated Climate Policy for Canada, eds. Steven Bernstein, Jutta Brunnée, and Andrew Green (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007).
  • “Out of the Energy Box,” with Julio Friedman, Foreign Affairs 83, No. 6 (November/December 2004): 72-83.
  • “Bringing Ingenuity to Energy,” in Andrew Heintzman and Evan Solomon, eds. Fueling the Future: How the Battle over Energy is Changing Everything (Toronto: Anansi, 2003).
  • “The Rise of Complex Terrorism,” Foreign Policy (January/February 2002).
  • “Environmental Scarcities and Civil Violence,” in Donald Kennedy and John Riggs, eds., US Policy and the Global Environment: Memos to the President, A Report of the Environment Policy Forum, July 8-11, 2000, Aspen, Colorado (Washington, DC: Aspen Institute, 2000).[46]
Significant Op-Eds
  • "Ice, Please—Climate on the Rocks," The Globe and Mail, September 17, 2012.[47]
  • "Climate Change's Costs Hit the Plate," The Globe and Mail, July 24, 2012. [48]
  • “Unconventional Wisdom: Economies Can’t Just Keep on Growing,” Foreign Policy, January 2011.[49]
  • “Disaster at the Top of the World,” The New York Times, Editorial / Opinion, Sunday, August 23, 2010.[50]
  • “Blocking the Sky to Save the Earth,” with David Keith (scientist) The New York Times, September 20, 2008.[51]
  • “We Must Green the Market,” with Steward Elgie, The Globe and Mail, August 6, 2008.[52]
  • "The Age of Cheap Oil is Ending," The Globe and Mail, August 6, 2007.
  • “Terror in the Weather Forecast,” The New York Times, April 24, 2007.[53]
  • “The End of Ingenuity,” The New York Times, November 29, 2006.[54]
  • “Caught Up in Our Own Connections,” The New York Times, August 13, 2005.[55]
  • “Why Population Growth Still Matters,” The Globe and Mail, March 6, 2002.
  • “The Virulence of Violence: Small Arms, Many Wars, Large Threat,” The Washington Post, February 4, 2001.
  • “A World that Turns Too Fast,” Financial Times, London, January 2, 2001.

Awards

His award-winning works include: The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization, which won the 2006 National Business Book Award; The Ingenuity Gap, which won the 2001 Governor-General's Non-fiction Award; and Environment, Scarcity, and Violence, which received the 2000 Lynton Caldwell Prize from the American Political Science Association.

Bibliography

  • The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization. Toronto: Knopf. 2006. ISBN 0-676-97722-7.
  • The Ingenuity Gap. New York: Knopf. 2000. ISBN 0-375-40186-5.
  • Environment, Scarcity, and Violence. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1999. ISBN 0-691-02794-3.
  • Population and Conflict. Liège: International Union for the Scientific Study of Population. 1994. ISBN 2-87108-032-1.
  • Environmental Scarcity and Global Security. New York: Foreign Policy Association. 1993. ISBN 0-87124-152-8.

References

  1. ^ Centre for International Governance Innovation web site.
  2. ^ Balsillie School of International Affairs web site.
  3. ^ WICI.
  4. ^ “George Ignatieff Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies.” Peace Magazine (July-August, 1996): 31.
  5. ^ “Peace and Conflict Studies Centre Named for Trudeau.” UofT Magazine (Summer 2004).
  6. ^ “Exploring Complexity in Economic Theory”, video of a talk given at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, Bretton Woods Conference, 2011.
  7. ^ “Thomas Homer-Dixon on Panarchy.” Podcast of the interview on KMO radio, February 24, 2009.
  8. ^ Thomas Homer-Dixon's official biography (Accessed March 5, 2007.)
  9. ^ Rockwell, Peigi . “Professor for Peace: Thomas Homer-Dixon.” Peace Magazine (June/July, 1993): 20.
  10. ^ Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “Environmental Scarcities and Violent Conflict: Evidence from Cases.” International Security, Vol. 19, No. I, (Summer 1994): 5-40.
  11. ^ Davis, Jeff. “New School Aims to Breathe Life into Global Affairs.” CIGI Online (February 20, 2008).
  12. ^ Reinhart, Anthony. “Advantage Waterloo.” The Globe and Mail (July 3, 2009).
  13. ^ Homer-Dixon, Thomas (Summer 1994). “Environmental Scarcities and Violent Conflict: Evidence from Cases.” International Security Vol. 19, No. I, pp. 5-40.
  14. ^ Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “On the Threshold: Environmental Changes as Causes of Acute Conflict.” International Security, Vol. 16, No.2, (Summer 1994): 76-116.
  15. ^ Researchers – "Project on Environmental Scarcities, State Capacity, and Civil Violence".
  16. ^ Researchers – "The Project on Environment, Population, and Security."
  17. ^ Hurst, Linda. “The global guru World leaders are listening to.” Toronto Star (July 20, 1996): C1.
  18. ^ Laver, Ross. “Looking for Trouble.” Maclean’s 107 (September 5, 1994): 18-22.
  19. ^ Population and Development Review.
  20. ^ Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “The Ingenuity Gap: Can Poor Countries Adapt to Resource Scarcity?” Population and Development Review, Vol. 21, No. 33 (September 1995).
  21. ^ Carbon Shift (book).
  22. ^ Research at WICI.
  23. ^ WICI Mass-collaborative global governance.
  24. ^ Kennedy, Bingham. “Environmental Security: PRB Talks with Thomas Homer-Dixon.” Population Reference Bureau (January 2001).
  25. ^ US DEPARTMENT OF STATE DISPATCH, VOLUME 5, NUMBER 27, JULY 4, 1994: “Building a Better Future in Africa”; in the section of his speech titled “Daunting Challenges Ahead”, President Clinton mentions Homer-Dixon’s work on the subject.
  26. ^ “Sustainable development and national security” – in this statement before the National Press Club, Timothy E. Wirth mentions Homer-Dixon’s work, article 1, par. 13.
  27. ^ “Apocalypse Soon.” The Economist. 332.7873 (July 23, 1994): A25.
  28. ^ On March 18, 2000, Thomas Homer-Dixon participated in the Environmental Change and Security Program: ISA Workshop on Environment and Conflict Workshop at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
  29. ^ Homer-Dixon, Thomas. “Terror in the Weather Forecast.” New York Times Op-ed (April 24, 2007).
  30. ^ Dembo, Ron. “Resilience and Civilization.” Interview in Huff Post Politics Canada (January 17, 2007).
  31. ^ “Media Advisory - Ontario 2020: Visionary speakers kick off conference on the future.” Newswire.ca, March 3, 2010, announcement of speakers at the Ontario 2020 Conference, March 2010.
  32. ^ Thomas Homer-Dixon among the panelists at the Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs, 2010 Conference.
  33. ^ Mercer, Greg. “Future City Planners Told Stakes Are High.” The Record.com (February 4, 2011).
  34. ^ “Equinox Summit Day 2: Thomas Homer-Dixon on energy and complexity.” The Cord (June 9, 2011).
  35. ^ Colman, Robert. “Thomas Homer-Dixon addresses CaGBC National Summit.” Green Business (June 10, 2009).
  36. ^ University of Toronto Faculty of Law, announcement of ‘A Globally Integrated Climate Policy For Canada: An Interdisciplinary Conference’, November 1-2, 2007.
  37. ^ iPolitics,LIVE at 12:15pm, Thomas Homer-Dixon: Social sciences and good public policy.
  38. ^ Video of Thomas Homer-Dixon giving the 2010 Manion Lecture, May 5, 2010, at The Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) in Ottawa. "Complexity Science and Public Policy."
  39. ^ CORE videoof the keynote address.
  40. ^ A podcast of the talk is available on the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict events archivesite.
  41. ^ "Thomas Homer-Dixon Warns of Multiple Stresses on Global systems," GW News Center Press Release, George Washington University (Nov. 25, 2002).
  42. ^ New America Foundation announcement of Homer-Dixon talk "The Rise of Complex Terrorism."
  43. ^ Springerlink site for "Environmental Scarcities and Civil Violence", with pdf. download.
  44. ^ "The Newest Science: Replacing Physics, Ecology Will Be the Master Science of the 21st Century," on Alternatives Journal web site.
  45. ^ Population Council site featuring the journal Population and Development Review.
  46. ^ Aspen Institute web site with access to this and other reports.
  47. ^ "Ice, Please—Climate on the Rocks," as it appeared in The Globe and Mail.
  48. ^ "Climate Change's Costs Hit the Plate," as it appeared in The Globe and Mail.
  49. ^ “Unconventional Wisdom: Economies Can’t Just Keep on Growing,” as it appeared in Foreign Policy.
  50. ^ “Disaster at the Top of the World,” as it appeared in The New York Times.
  51. ^ “Blocking the Sky to Save the Earth,” as it appeared in The New York Times.
  52. ^ “We Must Green the Market,” as it appeared in The Globe and Mail.
  53. ^ “Terror in the Weather Forecast,” as it appeared in The New York Times.
  54. ^ “The End of Ingenuity,” as it appeared in The New York Times.
  55. ^ “Caught Up in Our Own Connections,” as it appeared in The New York Times.

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