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Previously overlooked in International Relations, environmental issues have now emerged as a central topic of debate among scholars in the field. This transformation highlights not only the evolution of IR itself—expanding to incorporate what were once considered low-politics issues—but also the growing concern among scholars about pressing global challenges, such as environmental degradation. The Review of International Studies (RIS) has published numerous articles addressing these matters, exploring a broad spectrum of topics related to environmental issues, the politics surrounding global environmental governance and climate change, a thorough analysis of the concept of degrowth in the context of the North-South divide, and the imperative to create a conceptual framework for post-growth International Relations, among others.
In his 2008 article, Peter Newell emphasizes the significance of the critical political economy approach for comprehending environmental issues, which are deeply interlinked with the evolving dynamics between states and markets. This underscores that global environmental governance must be viewed in the context of wider changes in authority within global politics. Rosaleen Duffy’s 2005 article uses the example of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) in Central America to reveal the shortcomings of global environmental governance, which are intensified by local complexities that can undermine and contest conservation efforts at the global level. By analyzing the Latin American bloc (ALBA), Hayley Stevenson’s 2014 article highlights the need for alternatives to conventional state-based representation in global climate governance to address the current deficiencies in inclusivity and legitimacy within this framework.
The 2024 RIS forum on post-growth, green growth, and degrowth showcased engaging articles discussing environmental and climate issues from a post-growth viewpoint. In the opening piece of this RIS Forum, Jacob Hasseilbalch and Mathias Kranke (2024) emphasize the necessity of broadening the conceptual and theoretical groundwork for advancing post-growth international relations. Other contributions in this Forum indicate that the idea of degrowth may deepen the North–South divide and threaten climate justice. Specifically addressing Africa, Chukwumerije Okereke contends that green growth presents a more pragmatic and effective solution for achieving global climate justice, as it aligns better with the norms, structures, and dynamics of international politics. Similarly, Miriam Lang draws on experiences from Latin America to argue that within the unbalanced North–South framework, degrowth would be rendered insignificant.
The selected articles examine unprecedented global issues, such as environmental degradation, indicating a shift in international relations (IR) studies. Scholars from Critical International Political Economy primarily lead this research, suggesting that traditional IR methods are inadequate for addressing the evolving dynamics in the global political economy. Additionally, this development underscores the growing significance of International Political Economy (IPE) as an essential subfield of IR. This trend emphasizes the diversity and richness of the discipline, expanding IR studies to include perspectives beyond state actors and incorporating experiences from the Global South, thus enriching contemporary IR scholarship.
Where not open access, the articles in this collection are free to read until the end of July 2025.
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