ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 starts with the description of the context of research, the Anthropocene as a new geological era of humankind. A basic assumption is that the definition of the Anthropocene implies a paradigmatic shift that makes the critical re-assessment and the evaluation of cosmologies necessary. The research question followed is whether the concept of environmental security has the ability to provide conceptual guidance towards socio-ecological change. The emerging Anthropocene Studies, Green Political Theory and the critical approaches to Security Studies are the major informing theoretical fields and study schools. An introduction to environmental security is provided, such as an overview of the methodology and of the structure of the book.
