The limitations of ir theory regarding the environment: lessons from the anthropocene

Pereira, Joana Castro

doi:10.1590/0034-73292017001019

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Climate change is generally considered an external enemy (Methmann and Rothe, 2012). However, one key lesson from the Anthropocene's new geological conditions is that there is an unbreakable link between the natural and social worlds: humans are now geological agents, and threats to security are no longer limited to outside agents of each national society (Fagan, 2016;Pereira, 2017;Pereira and Freitas, 2017). The twenty-first century human development paradigm recognizes only rhetorically the importance of nature.…”

Section: Why Humanity Is Unprepared For Averting Climate Catastrophementioning

confidence: 99%

Catastrophic Climate Change and Forest Tipping Points: Blind Spots in International Politics and Policy

Pereira

Viola

2018

Global Policy

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Scientists believe that humanity has already crossed the core planetary boundary for climate change, and is closer to crossing thresholds that trigger abrupt and irreversible environmental changes. Consequently, academia and the international political community should not disregard the prospect of a catastrophic environmental event. However, discussions about climate change usually assume the resilience of potentially deteriorating terrestrial‐biosphere carbon sinks and rarely acknowledge catastrophic climate risk. Reviewing the latest scientific evidence on anthropogenic climate change, as well as the current and projected threats to the resilience of key large forest biomes, and combining them with the profound political frailties of the Paris Climate Agreement, this article argues that catastrophic climate risk is much more serious and likely than most of humanity is able to perceive and should thus be seriously considered. It emphasizes the massive gap between science and political action and how cognitive, cultural, institutional, and political limitations hinder our capacity to envisage, prevent, and ultimately manage catastrophic climate change. The article concludes by briefly raising awareness regarding the role that academia should play in catastrophic climate risk reduction.

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Section: Why Humanity Is Unprepared For Averting Climate Catastrophementioning

confidence: 99%

Catastrophic Climate Change and Forest Tipping Points: Blind Spots in International Politics and Policy

Pereira

Viola

2018

Global Policy

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“…It is important to note that the transformation of this mode of relationship may inevitably promote a gradual transformation of modern political communities -or the Westphalian system of nation-states -which have, from the start, been fundamentally informed by anthropocentric conceptions of the world and its agentic beings. In fact, the defining norms of Westphalia -e.g., sovereignty, territoriality, citizenship, nationality -are all inherently anthropocentric given that they establish the ontological, moral, legal and political boundaries of community almost exclusively around human beings (Pereira, 2017). Calls for some form of interspecies relations (Youatt, 2014); for a new understanding of planet politics instead of international politics (Burke et al, 2016); for inclusive, intersectional and cosmopolitical frameworks for multispecies justice (Celermajer et al, 2021); for new kinds of political community (e.g., zoopolis) which embrace non-human animals as co-citizens, denizens or sovereigns (Donaldson and Kymlicka, 2014) -among others -have been appearing over the last two decades in response to the exclusive character of world politics and IR, and their inability to adequately respond to the climate and environmental emergencies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rights of Nature as a potential framework for the transformation of modern political communities

Houart¹

2022

JANUS NET

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This article focuses on the present context of the climate and environmental crises and how these fundamentally challenge the inherently anthropocentric norms, conceptions and practices of international politics and IR. I argue that, in order to confront the hegemonic, anthropocentric mode of relationship with non-human nature that has led to these crises, alternative frameworks need to be developed that might lead to a gradual transformation of modern political communities. Departing from Critical IR Theory, I suggest that Andrew Linklater's and Robyn Eckersley's critiques of Westphalia and proposals for its transformation might be useful to understand how the emergent Rights of Nature movement may promote such transformation. I look at two paradigmatic cases from the Rights of Nature movementthe Whanganui River case in Aotearoa New Zealand, on a local level; and Ecuador's 2008 Constitution, on a national level -to briefly reflect on the alternative understandings of concepts such as community, subjecthood, agency, voice, rights, participation and representation that they encourage. By expanding these concepts as to include the morethan-human world, these RoN frameworks invite a transformation of modern systems of thought and practice, and -to a certain extent -constitute a potential for the transformation of modern political communities in ways that might enable a better response to the global climate and environmental crises.

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“…"[r]ather than simply proposing an exercise in borrowing or inter-disciplinary exchange, turns signal a desire to transcend disciplinary boundaries drawing upon wider trans-disciplinary movements seeking to apply a novel 'vision'" (Baele and Bettiza, 2020, p. 14). Once more, this push for a trans-disciplinarity of change is clear within the Anthropocene literature, that stems precisely from drawing Earth System Sciences into other disciplines and breaking down divisions between the social and natural sciences (Pereira, 2017) in order to construct a holistic knowledge endeavor capable of "effectively addressing the magnitude of contemporary transformations" (Pereira, 2021, p. 26).…”

Section: Ir Is Dead Long Live Ir: a New Ontology For A Changed Discip...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ontology, then, is particularly important within the literature pertaining to the Anthropocenethe new world of the new epoch consists of a new reality and therefore necessarily necessitates a new ontology. Some authors affirm that the current ontology of International Relations is a remnant of its origins in Political Science (Pereira, 2017;Chandler et al, 2017) and to continue limited by what was called as the ontology of the international impedes IR of being relevant in the Anthropocene. Hence, a new ontology of complexity is proposed for the discipline.…”

Section: Ir Is Dead Long Live Ir: a New Ontology For A Changed Discip...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this sense, this ontology of complexity focuses on uncertainty, instability and unpredictability (Pereira, 2017) and would allow for a different understanding of the international. Still, commitment to an ontology complexity poses methodological and epistemic challenges (Kavalski, 2012;Rothe, Müller and Chandler, 2021), bringing epistemology to the forefront of the literature in second place, with authors referring to a current epistemological crisis (Schultz, 2017), or the necessity of an Epistemic Revolution (Popolo, 2011apud Kavalski, 2012.…”

Section: Ir Is Dead Long Live Ir: a New Ontology For A Changed Discip...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes and Endings: Dynamics of the Anthropocene From Earth System Sciences to Critical International Relations

NETO¹

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This dissertation attempts to critically analyze the mobilization of the concept of the Anthropocene by Critical International Relations literature. It does so with a particular focus on the origins of the concept within Earth System Sciences (ESS), and within a more general discussion over the scientific authority of modern science and its connections to practices of world-making -discussed specifically in terms of scientific cosmologies -and propositions over international politics. As such, the discussion explores the construction of ESS and the formulation of the Anthropocene as related to the political commitments of the discipline and proposes the use of the Foucauldian problematization to analyze the political solutions stemming from the discipline. Then, the dissertation connects Earth System Sciences to other scientific endeavors, in a different historical context in order to move a more generalized discussion on the power of scientific authority to inform international politics through world-making practices. With that, the discussion lays out two possible worlds and political implications stemming from interpretations of the Anthropocene. Finally, within IR literature the dissertation assesses how the appropriation of the Anthropocene is conducted, paying particular attention to the call for an ontological shift within the discipline and to the specific relationship between theory and political action present in the literature, both elements connected to ESS. At last, the notion of problematization is brought back in order to analyze the intellectual and political solutions brought forth by Critical IR in their mobilization of the Anthropocene.

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The limitations of ir theory regarding the environment: lessons from the anthropocene

Cited by 12 publications

References 41 publications

Catastrophic Climate Change and Forest Tipping Points: Blind Spots in International Politics and Policy

Catastrophic Climate Change and Forest Tipping Points: Blind Spots in International Politics and Policy

Rights of Nature as a potential framework for the transformation of modern political communities

Changes and Endings: Dynamics of the Anthropocene From Earth System Sciences to Critical International Relations

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