At least two things are certain about world politics today: environmental problems are important, and discourses on security remain powerful. Environment and security have been progressively linked in theory, and environmental security is now manifest in policy. But the meaning of environmental security is ambiguous and open to appropriation, and an examination of its various interpretations and applications reveals much about the state of global environmental politics.

This book offers a comprehensive critical discussion of environmental security. It discusses the origins and implications of a wide variety of approaches to the subject. Barnett argues that ultimately environmental security is driven more by the power of security-makers than by the need to address environmental problems. By systematically uncovering the deficiencies of existing discourses on environmental security, Barnett goes beyond critique and develops an alternative approach with practical implications.