Laurie Parsons

Laurie Parsons is a Reader in Human Geography at the Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London. His work critically examines climate change's intersection with socio-economic systems, global production networks, and inequality. He leads major projects like The Disaster Trade and Hot Trends, focusing on climate vulnerability in Cambodia's garment industry and UK overseas investments. Previously, he co-led the award-winning Blood Bricks project on climate change and labor exploitation in Cambodian brick kilns.

Parsons' research emphasizes translocality and global precarity, documented in his 2020 Oxford University Press monograph Going Nowhere Fast: Inequality in the Age of Translocality (EuroSEAS Social Science Book Prize shortlist) and a 2021 Routledge edited volume on climate change in workplaces. He collaborates with international NGOs like Transparency International and CARE International, addressing development inequalities in Cambodia.

• Key Projects: Explores climate impacts through global supply chains, labor conditions, and transnational environmental governance.
• Policy Engagement: Advises on climate resilience, credit systems, and malnutrition in Cambodia/South India through interdisciplinary projects.

His 2024 book Climate Control (Royal Geographical Society series) analyzes climate politics and power structures. Notable recognition includes the 2024 American Publishers Economics Book Award and 2020 Times Higher Education Research Project of the Year.