ABSTRACT
The emergence of the international environmental agenda in the 1970s represents a distinctive change in the normative basis of international relations. Until the 1960s, most states treated environmental problems exclusively as part of domestic politics. The English School, once considered to be a case for closure, has made a remarkable comeback in International Relations. The English School started out as a small group of scholars that met from 1959 onwards under the auspices of the British Committee on the Theory of International Politics. Its early members came from different disciplinary backgrounds and also included practitioners of diplomacy. English School authors have traditionally viewed international environmental cooperation as a form of solidarist cooperation based on shared values and interests. The English School concept of solidarism is a label that captures a profound change in International Relations. The rise of global environmentalism in the twentieth century has led to a profound transformation of international society.
