ABSTRACT
A study of the politics of global environmental change invites us to revisit and rethink the three ‘Great Debates’ of international relations. In the 1940s, the debate between Idealism and Realism forced us to ask whether we should plan for a better world of international peace and cooperation or reluctantly accept that conflict was inevitable. In the 1960s the choice was between attempting to study the social sciences by using the epistemology and methodology of the natural sciences or remaining rooted in the disciplines of history, law and philosophy. In the 1970s and 1980s we faced a wide-ranging debate between Realism and globalism (or pluralism) about the nature of the international system. In global environmental politics, we immediately confront the following questions that comprise the three main debates: what is our idea of a better world, and can we hope to achieve progress through international cooperation? What is the politics of science, and what is the science of politics? And do states and inter-state relations determine outcomes, or do companies and pressure groups have an independent influence? In each of these debates, the current concern for distinct environmental values contributes to the argument that the analysis of differing contentions over values should be central to our study of global politics.
