Thomas Heyd

Thomas Heyd is a research fellow at the Centre for Global Studies and professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria since 1993. He primarily works in environmental philosophy, history of philosophy, and the aesthetics of prehistoric art. He also has repeatedly taught at the University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, and the University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain. 

Thomas’ research frequently involves interdisciplinary settings. In the context of his work on climate change, he has extensively worked with social and natural science colleagues, while he has also worked with archaeologists, art historians and artists when his research is focussed on the aesthetics of prehistoric and contemporary art. 

He is the author of Encountering Nature: Toward an Environmental Culture (Ashgate, 2007) and editor of Recognizing the Autonomy of Nature (CUP, 2005). He has a very active presentation schedule at international conferences and academic institutions. 

He has published numerous articles and book chapters in Environmental Humanities, including “Climate Change and the Environmental Humanities” in Handbook of Philosophy of Climate Change (2023); "Precursors and Antecedents of the Anthropocene," Social Sciences (2022); "The Natural Contract in the Anthropocene" (with Bertrand Guillaume), Environmental Ethics (2016); "Symbolically laden sites in the landscape and climate change," Ethics, Policy & Environment (2014); and "Human security and personal responsibilities in light of climate change defeatism and complacency," in The Changing Environment for Human Security: New Agendas for Research, Policy, and Action (Earthscan, 2013). 

While at the Centre, Thomas is working on a new research project about climate change and resilient responses to ecological anxiety.