ABSTRACT
Now more than ever, it is imperative that political ecologists have the conceptual tools to analyse the largest institutions most responsible for compounding ecological crises. But how does one go about actually doing it? The intersection of critical geopolitics, political economy, and ecology—or geopolitical ecology (GPE)—is a framework to assess the interplay of powerful discourses emanating from large geopolitical institutions and organisations, associated practices, and multi-scalar material political economic and socio-ecological effects. Building on work studying the carbon footprint of the US military, we review recent work in GPE across three substantive categories: the first is that of militaries (bombs) and associated security networks; the second engages in finance (banks); and the last expands into the realm of Big International Non-Governmental Organisations (BINGOs). We conclude by offering pathways for scholars across disciplines to engage with critical geopolitics, political economy, and political ecology in an integrated and coherent approach.
