Global climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time and a long term policy problem. The issue of climate change is usually also considered a collective action problem. Therefore climate action faces a number of challenges at all levels of governance and all levels of analysis, which we will explore in detail. This module focuses on mitigation (emission reduction) aspects of climate and, to a lesser extent, on adaptation. We consider questions of climate governance at the international and the national level and the module will pay particular attention to the role of special interests such as oil companies and MNCs more generally. How do these actors affect climate governance and climate outcomes? What impacts do other actors such as ENGOs have on policy outcomes at the national or international level and what challenges do individual behaviour and climate attitudes pose to climate policy making? To investigate these issues we look at climate change from multiple perspectives (International Relations, Political Science, Psychology, Communication, and a little Economics) which allows you to acquire the tools to analyse the issue from multiple perspectives. This will empower you to develop a sophisticated understanding of the problem and the ability to develop a number of potential policy solutions, including an understanding of what shapes our own actions on climate change
Lecture 16, Seminar 16
1,200 words Short Writing Piece. Assessment Details: Annotated Essay Plan worth 30%.
2,50000 words Extended Writing. Assessment Details: Essay worth 70%.
Reassessment Method: Like for like
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Outline and explain the emergence, operation, and effectiveness of international institutions and reflect on how they impact the politics of climate change.
2) Evaluate the key drivers of individual attitudes to climate change.
3) Provide a broader inter and transdisciplinary theoretical and methodological account of climate change politics drawing on social science perspectives (Politics, IR, psychology, communication, economics).
4) Identify and assess international and domestic drivers and processes related to the politics of climate change.
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