Security and Climate Change International Relations and the Limits of Realism [Paperback]

This new book explains why the international community has responded with a sense of fatalistic passivity to climate change.

It presents a distinct critique of realism through the study of this topic, commonly overlooked in international relations. The author argues that the realist view rests on a dangerous contradiction; far from delivering security it serves to limit the way we think about the new generation of risks we face. The book also provides a detailed case study evaluating US climate politics under the Clinton and Bush administrations.

1. Introduction: The Tragedy of Realism  2. The World is a Laboratory: Climate Change and Hierarchies of (In)Security  3. Illusions of Realism: Techno-Optimism, Realist Strategies and Think-Tanks  4. Mearsheimer and the Vicious Circle: Networks of Realism, Climate Change and the Clinton Administration  5. Conclusion: Moral (In)Security and the Limits of Realism

Dr Mark J. Lacyis a lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Lancaster University, UK.