Mr Michael Lomotey

Mr Michael Lomotey

 FRSA, MSc

Research interests

  • The Black Radical Tradition and Antiblackness
  • The intersection of Black Ecologies and Critical Climate/Environmental Justice
  • Adaptation and Mitigation

More research

Connect with Michael

About

I am interested in the Black Radical Tradition and especially antiblackness as theoretical, ontological and conceptual frameworks to interrogate and uncover truths in climate change discourse. I am currently researching the impacts of flooding on Black communities in the UK.

My research is somewhat unique in the UK, using frameworks from what is known as the Black Radical Tradition (BRT) to explore climate change policy and practice. It’s interdisciplinary work, combining climate adaption with the condition of Black life. My research shows that while climate change is an existential risk, all aspects of society must be considered, not only in terms of impact, but also in planning solutions. Waves of climate impacts are coming, and we need everyone on board to build solutions that are effective and liberatory.

The BRT is more than a theory, it includes culture and lived experience, drawing on centuries of Black thought, writing and life. I explore how antiblackness, rooted in the historic dehumanisation of Black people for labour exploitation, continues today and underpins societal structures. This lens helps unpack climate change in ways that people in the Global South have known for centuries, but are probably new to Western society.