The Tropical Agenda

Abstract

The Torrid Zone, more casually referred to as the tropics, has been discriminated against since Aristotle divided the world into three zones. The tropics have been considered too hot for civilised habitation, a place of great horrors, and a dangerous place of pestilence. Consequently, others have chosen to explore the Temperate and Frigid zones. However, the tropics has become an increasingly critical global zone. With a huge, and rapidly growing, population it is facing some of the most formidable issues in history, including the impact of climate change and environmental degradation, poor health and educational outcomes, extreme poverty, and political and economic instability. This article advocates for the tropics to be recognised as a major expanding geo-political region that needs to be comprehensively understood by psychology and other disciplines through research and investigation.