The Securitisation of Climate Change and the Governmentalisation of Security

'In this important book, Franziskus von Lucke provides a theoretically sophisticated and empirically rich account of the relationship between security and climate change. Rejecting blanket claims, he explores the cases of the US, Germany and Mexico and points to distinctive dynamics within these contexts. The book constitutes an important addition to the literature and will be of interest to a wide range of scholars of security in international relations.' 

—Associate Professor Matt McDonald, University of Queensland, Australia 

'In 2019, a number of states have made climate emergency declarations. It is therefore more important than ever to understand what the securitization of the climate means. Who can securitize? What security measures are likely/legitimate? And will it succeed? This carefully researched book offers answers to all of these questions. Accessibly written this is a must-read for scholars and practitioners alike.' 

—Dr Rita Floyd, University of Birmingham, UK  


This book provides an in-depth analysis of the securitisation of climate change in the US, Germany and Mexico and offers a rethinking of securitisation theory. Resting on a Foucauldian governmentality approach, it discusses how different climate security discourses have transformed the political handling of climate change and affected policies, practices and institutions. Going beyond the literature’s predominant focus on the global level, it gives a fine-grained examination of the political and institutional changes in different national contexts. Drawing on the governmentalisation of security, the book develops a new understanding of securitisation that focuses on the role of power. In doing so, it provides new insights into the transformative potential of linking climate change to security but also highlights the political and normative pitfalls of securitisation. 


Franziskus von Lucke is a Researcher in International Relations at the University of Tübingen, Germany. His research focuses on critical security studies, climate politics, and climate justice and he has worked extensively on the securitisation of climate change. His works have appeared in Geopolitics, the Journal of International Relations and Development and in the Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen.