Audrey Irvine-Broque

Audrey Irvine-Broque is a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia, where her research focuses on the political economy of biodiversity loss and conservation. Her doctoral project examines sovereign debt as a driver of ecological degradation, aiming to understand how and why proposals at this nexus – from redistributive calls for debt forgiveness to technical efforts to “green” sovereign bonds – are becoming globally dominant, and what their material consequences will be. Through work, political activism, and research, she has long been engaged with efforts to make financial structures better align with social and environmental goals, and is committed to understanding the conditions under which these efforts can or cannot produce just and sustainable outcomes.

Outside of her studies, Audrey spends her free time trying to better understand the patterns of abundance and diversity of life on Earth, as well as the stories, cultural practices and histories that attend them. Through the Scholarship, she hopes to join a cohort that will further push at her understanding of the world, as well as our collective understandings of what is possible within it. Originally from Berkeley, California, she speaks English fluently and French as a beginner.