Through the security glass darkly? Cities, critical infrastructure and climate change

Abstract

One of the key tenets of security studies is that 'security matters'. But what kind of security matters for critical infrastructure in climate change? Despite the compelling nature and urgency of the climate change imperative not all ways of presenting security threats are appropriate; not all ways of governing in a state of emergency are equal. The use of national security framing and military rhetoric for example has been deeply criticised as an inappropriate basis for sustainability issues or ecologically transformative politics (Dalby 2002). This paper focuses on how critical infrastructure is currently framed as a key national urban security issue within Australian cities in response to weather of mass destruction - and how it could be different.