ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the study of environmental questions within the broader context of international relations (IR) theory. It then provides a brief review of the main theoretical strands in IR thinking about the environment, including the institutionalist study of international cooperation and regime formation. The chapter discusses that, whereas theories of IR and the growth of the discipline were predicated upon the problem of war and insecurity, in a conception that excluded environmental issues, the latter have become an integral part of a contemporary redefinition of security. With mainstream approaches, the study of global environmental politics has moved a long way from the mainstream preoccupation with inter-state institutions. The chapter concludes with a consideration of what may be regarded as the foundational security concerns of IR as a discipline and the ways in which the relationship between security and environmental degradation have been portrayed.
