The South Is Not a Metaphor

It is a set of coordinates with mines in it, and the difference matters to the people standing on them.

RLRicky Lanusse17 November 2025 · 22 min

Two small figures watching Earth rise over a ridge inside a starred iris, under the words YOU WILL NEVER INFLUENCE THE WORLD BY TRYING TO BE LIKE IT.

The global South does a great deal of rhetorical work in climate writing and comparatively little geographic work. This essay is an attempt to put the map back.

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The South Is Not a Metaphor

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