Volume V Special Issue VI December 2025

Name of Author : Kalyanini B Nair

Title of the paper : Winds of Change: Climate and the Colonial Conquest of Asia

Abstract: Climate was a critical factor influencing both the strategies and outcomes of European imperial expansion. This study examines the role of climate in the European colonial conquest and administration of Asia from the 16th to the 20th centuries. It challenges Eurocentric narratives that attribute colonial success solely to technological or political superiority, arguing instead that environmental conditions significantly constrained or facilitated European power. Initial European expansion in maritime Asia was largely driven by a desire for spices and other commodities, facilitated by sea routes that bypassed overland challenges. the colonial era marked a fundamental transformation in human environment interactions across Asia, with legacies that directly contribute to contemporary climate vulnerabilities and the ongoing discourse on climate justice. An understanding of this historical nexus between climate, power, and environmental change is essential for grasping the intertwined nature of historical injustice and the modern climate crisis.

Keywords : Climate, Colonialism, Imperialism, Europe, Exploitation

DOI :

Page Number : 107-109