Description
The tension between pluralism and solidarism within the English School of International Relations (ES) concerns contrasting perspectives on the structure of international societies. Pluralism emphasizes minimal commitment among states, focusing on international order and coexistence. In contrast, solidarism envisions a society of states bounded by shared moral goals, prioritizing justice over mere order. While this debate touches on key issues like human rights and global justice, it also engages with the relationship between international and world society. Barry Buzan questions whether solidarism can be fully contained within the framework of international society, or if it inevitably spills over into the domain of world society. While some scholars commonly associate pluralism with international society and solidarism with world society, others view solidarism not as a distinctive feature of international societies but rather as integrally connected to the transition from international to world society. This paper argues that these theoretical debates have significant implications for transnational environmental governance. In particular, the paper addresses the extent to which addressing transnational environmental challenges requires a form of solidarism that blurs the distinction between international society and world society. Transnational environmental issues demand cooperative action that transcends state borders, raising the issue of whether international cooperation alone is sufficient or if a deeper, solidarist commitment encompassing world society is required. The argument is structured around the proposed concept of ‘layered solidarism’, suggesting that effective environmental governance may require different degrees of solidarist engagement at varying levels of governance—local, national, regional, and global. It requires a more nuanced shift, at various levels of cooperation, between international and world society, and signals a transformation in global politics within a solidarist framework to govern the shared environment.
