Environmentalism and Global International Society (Cambridge Studies in International Relations, Series Number 156)

Environmentalism and Global International Society reveals how environmental values and ideas have transformed the normative structure of international relations. Falkner argues that environmental stewardship has become a universally accepted fundamental norm, or primary institution, of global international society. He traces the history of environmentalism's rise from a loose set of ideas originating in the nineteenth century to a globally applicable norm in the twentieth century, which has come to redefine international legitimacy and states' global responsibilities. He shows how this deep norm change came about as a result of the interplay between non-state and state actors, and how the new environmental norm has interacted with the existing primary institutions of global international society, most notably sovereignty and territoriality, diplomacy, international law, and the market. This book shifts the attention from the presentist focus in the study of global environmental politics to the longue durée of global norm change in the greening of international relations. "Environmentalism and Global International Society show how environmental ideas have transformed the normative structure of international relations. Falkner argues that the norm of environmental stewardship has become a universally accepted primary institution of international society. The book traces the long history of environmentalism's rise from a loose set of ideas originating in the nineteenth century to redefining international legitimacy and international society's global responsibilities by the late twentieth century. It demonstrates how this deep norm change came about as a result of the interaction between non-state and state actors, and how the new environmental norm has interacted with the existing primary institutions of global international society, most notably sovereignty and territoriality, diplomacy, international law and the market. The book shifts the attention in the study of global environmental politics from its presentist focus to the longue durée of the gradual greening of international relations"-- Provided by publisher Dedication Contents Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations 1 Introduction: The Greening of Global International Society Part I: Theory 2 English School Theory and Global Environmental Politics 3 The Idea of Environmentalism Part II: History 4 The Origins of Global Environmentalism 5 The Emergence of Environmental Stewardship as a Primary Institution 6 The Globalisation of Environmental Stewardship 7 Environmental Stewardship between Consolidation and Contestation Part III: Analytical Perspectives 8 Solidarist Ambition 9 Pluralist Constraints 10 World Society to the Rescue? Part IV: Conclusions 11 Conclusions: International Relations in the Anthropocene References Index The history of how environmentalism rose to prominence in international politics and how the international community came to accept a global responsibility for the planet's health. It will appeal to scholars and students of international relations theory, history and global environmental politics.