Find a faculty mentor that focuses on environmental theory. If a faculty mentor who focuses on environmental theory is not available in your department, look for a faculty member who conducts similar or related research.
Environmental theory connects with a variety of topics, such as social inequality. One example might be a paper that is focused on the relationship between the portrayal of women and the environment in a text. An environmental theorist might not be on staff, but someone who specializes in women's or gender and sexuality studies likely will be available on campus.
Scientific thesis projects on the environment can draw from a variety of disciplines in the sciences. Disciplines that address environmental science issues include biology, chemistry, climatology, engineering, plant science and many others.
Speak with the professor who is supervising the thesis project about any difficulties finding sources. When dealing with an issue that has not received a lot of mainstream academic attention, it will probably be necessary to draw connections between similar ideas to make a point.
The basic idea of environmental academic theory is that it is multidisciplinary. Everything that exists dwells within the ecosystem we live in. Therefore, everything we study is related in some way to the environment, because we are a part of our environment.
Even the social sciences address environmental issues in areas like environmental psychology, a branch of psychology that studies the human mind and behavior as related to the surrounding environment, both outside and inside.
Critique the current literature that is available on the topic. An example might be to take two seminal works of environmental theory in your subject area and compare and contrast them. What is missing in their arguments could become your thesis. On the bright side, working with loosely connected arguments gives you an opportunity to put forth truly original work.
In order to gain perspective, it is also helpful to look through news articles about the environment, detailing the legislative aspect of environment issues. Especially if the thesis is relating to attitudes toward the environment, cultural factors will need to be taken into consideration.
Look for interviews with environmental experts in the political field. Their insights can be used in a multidisciplinary context to provide background information on the cultural and historical aspects of the environment as a concept.