Environmentalism “Teaching Students about the Environment in an IR Theory Course”

In this chapter Katz-Rosene and Cantwell-Chavez explore the integration of environmental themes into an introductory International Relations (IR) theory course. They highlight the increasing importance of environmental breakdown in global politics and its relevance to university students, and discuss the absence of any singular dominant environmental theory within IR. The authors offer guidance on how to cover key environmental topics associated with what they call the global “habitability crisis”, such as climate change, biodiversity decline, ecosystem degradation, particularly through the gaze of global environmental governance. They conclude the chapter with reflections on teaching different environmental theoretical camps within IR, emphasizing the value of critical analyses in understanding global environmental challenges.