Pre-print version: Eckersley, R., & Corry, O. (2024). International Relations, the Environment, and Green Theory. In T. Dunne, M. Kurki, K. Kušić, & S. Smith (Eds.), International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity (6 ed.). Oxford University Press. Chapter 16 International Relations, the Environment, and Green Theory ROBYN ECKERSLEY AND OLAF CORRY <start feature> ● Introduction XXX ● A very short history of global environmental politics XXX ● The rise of critical green theory XXX ● The greening of IR theory XXX ● Case study: the ‘international’ of climate change XXX ● Conclusion XXX <end feature> <start feature> <Insert arrow icon> Reader’s Guide This chapter explores the ways in which environmental concerns feature in International Relations (IR) theory. It provides a brief introduction to the ecological crisis and the emergence of green theorizing in the social sciences and humanities in general, and then tracks the status and impact of environmental issues and green thinking in IR theory. It shows how mainstream rationalist IR theories, such as neorealism and neoliberalism, have constructed environmental problems merely as a ‘new issue area’ that can be approached through pre-existing theoretical frameworks. These approaches are contrasted with more critical green IR theories, which challenge the state-centric framework, rationalist analysis, and ecological blindness of orthodox IR theories and offer a range of new environmental interpretations of international