Pierre Charbonnier is a philosopher and CNRS research fellow at Sciences Po (Center for European Studies and Comparative Politics). He is an alumnus of the École Normale Supérieure and holds an agrégation and a PhD in philosophy.
In this new work, Towards the Ecology of War: An Environmental History of Peace [i] , Pierre Charbonnier revisits the history of international relations, peace, economic development, and its future—through the lens of the environment and its challenges.
In the first part of the book, the author delves into themes of peacekeeping and the emergence of pacifist liberalism. He highlights how international trade enabled a shift in perspective on Earth and geography, allowing countries to transcend their own environmental limitations to foster global collaboration, supposedly beneficial to all participants. After presenting major philosophical theories on international peace, with a focus on Kant’s international law, the author traces the history of pacifist liberalism, from Montesquieu’s “gentle commerce” to Ricardo’s economic analyses. According to Charbonnier, humanity, guided by technology and influenced by the powerful ideology of Saint-Simonianism, replaced wars between nations with a battle against nature itself1.
In 1950, the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community by Robert Schuman introduced the concept of productive solidarity: fossil fuels became the foundation of the international order and peacekeeping efforts. By enabling growth and development, fossil fuels paved the way for international stability—essential for the free flow of energy commodities and goods. They inspired a globalized industrial utopia, free from planetary constraints, extending even to Marxism.
One of the great challenges of the transition is thus recognizing that the roots of our environmental issues lie in the very foundations that uphold our peace. This peace is proving unsustainable: carbon peace infrastructures2 cannot last without compromising the habitability of our planet. Today, will the new tightening of borders, driven by a tense geopolitical context, push global economies toward more ecological, localized organizations that are less dependent on international resources and trade?
The outbreak of the war in Ukraine, according to the author, marks a turning point toward a new world order, that of “wartime ecology.” Global elites now understand that reducing their dependence on fossil fuels—and energy resources in general—ensures their own supply security. Moreover, energy independence also allows nations to remain at the forefront of the international stage, as excessive dependence risks subjecting them to the dominance of commodity-exporting countries. This perspective recently unified the policies of Biden, Von der Leyen, and even the Chinese Communist Party, all of whom see the ecological struggle as a geopolitical strategy.
Through this essay, Charbonnier seeks to define strong new political lines for ecological movements, which he sometimes criticizes for their idealism. His vision aims to leverage this fragile international balance to create a new economic logic and drive a form of strategic decarbonization.
For now, however, reality remains quite distant. Support for transition policies is limited and manifests mainly as the mere relocation of dependencies to new actors who, since Trump’s election, show little promise of greater cooperation. Charbonnier might interpret this unsatisfactory state of affairs as a step toward victory: the underlying uncertainty in this process is already pushing some parties toward his objectives.
Now let us consider the perspective of developing countries. Some, like Modi’s India, have capitalized on the sanctions imposed on Russia to secure cheap fossil fuels and continue their development. American efforts to offer these countries alternatives in green technologies have failed. While Americans argue that these technologies could free developing nations from foreign influence, they remain too costly and uncompetitive.
The discourse on transitioning to a post-fossil energy era is easy to defend economically and politically, but the actual end of fossil fuels (e.g., stranded assets) is much harder to achieve. Furthermore, many developing countries, such as Algeria, Venezuela, and even Saudi Arabia, base their development models on fossil fuels. For nations with limited historical responsibility, questioning their sovereignty models in the name of climate justice can seem unfair. In his conclusion, Charbonnier interprets this final stage as the second phase of war ecology—which, citing Thomas Schelling, he warns will be challenging3.
A reflection useful for action. Pierre Charbonnier expresses “a form of optimism in chaos that [makes] action possible.4” The political argument surrounding the transition to Net Zero is shifting once again. After ethical and justice-based arguments, ecological movements are now basing their discourse on a strategic vision centered around security. While this is an interesting approach, sometimes adopted by ecological parties during negotiations on sanctions, it can also be dangerous, as it risks leading to a form of “American-style” green sovereignism. Sovereignty must not take center stage. A balance must be found between increasing national sovereignty, fostering international cooperation for the transition, and supporting green development.
In his previous work, Pierre Charbonnier explained how the ecological deadlock was merely the result of our definition of freedom and even formed the foundation of our peace process. Here, he presents a second paradox: geopolitical tensions could also spark a major global ecological movement in the name of equality, justice, and security.
Jules Welgryn, CEC Research Fellow.
[i] Charbonnier,P., Vers l’Ecologie de guerre : Une histoire environnementale de la paix, Ed. La Découverte, August 2024, pp.324.
1See William James, « The Moral Equivalent of War », 1910 2Thomas Oatley, « The Climate Crisis and the Death of the Carbon Peace », 2023 3See « Climate Change. The Uncertainties, The Certainties and What They imply About Action”, Pierre Charbonnier, Editions La Découverte, 2020 4Pierre Charbonnier on France Inter, « Le Grand Face à Face : Repenser la paix face au mur climatique », https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CEnD4xGymY, 2024