Hannah Arendt and the Origins of Global Environmental Politics

Abstract

The traditional historical narrative regarding the emergence of environmental studies within the field of International Relations (IR) situates its origin in the 1960s. However, this perspective overlooks significant contributions made by international thinkers prior to that conventional date. This research aims to analyze Hannah Arendt’s contributions to environmental thought from an international perspective, positioning her as a relevant antecedent to the subfield of Global Environmental Politics (GEP) before 1960. Adopting a revisionist approach, this study conducts a critical review of her work The Human Condition (1958). Through an analysis of the concept of vita activa—composed of labor, work, and action—it demonstrates how Arendt anticipated ideas now associated with sustainability and the Anthropocene. By recovering these contributions, this research broadens the historical understanding of international engagement with environmental issues and challenges disciplinary narratives that have overlooked these foundational contributions.