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Political ecology and international relations: the challenges facing Critical International Ecopolitics

Abstract

The evolution of the theoretical environmental debate on the international agenda has been accompanied by the insertion of this issue on the area of International Relations, according to its theoretical framework. From the environmentalism, which gave rise to Political Ecology, to the encounter of such research area with the International Relations, the main objective of this article is to shed light on how the discussions proposed by Political Ecology influenced and generated new approaches in International Relations that transcend mere incorporation of environmental issues in existing theories. The attempt to formulate a green theory of International Relations based on a new ontology and epistemology aims to highlight one of the most important challenges facing humankind on the 21st Century: the use of natural resources and its consequences for the planet and humanity. In order to develop more capable instruments for the comprehension of the new millennium challenges, there is a set of important alternative approaches such as the International Critical Ecopolitics. This theoretical framework aims at analyzing how the global political structures have generated the domination of nature and human, and searching for social emancipation.

Keywords:
political ecology; critical ecopolitics; international relations; environmental politics.

Universidade de Brasília. Instituto de Ciência Política Instituto de Ciência Política, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro - Gleba A Asa Norte, 70904-970 Brasília - DF Brasil, Tel.: (55 61) 3107-0777 , Cel.: (55 61) 3107 0780 - Brasília - DF - Brazil
E-mail: rbcp@unb.br