Politics and Environment: Current Issues

The current global environmental crisis presents one of the most pressing challenges facing societies today. Advocating for green interests and promoting environmental issues requires action at multiple levels, with political and social factors influencing the recognition of ecological concerns. Additionally, there is a growing recognition of the role individuals and communities play in addressing environmental challenges.

This course aims to provide students with a deep understanding of the complexities of environmental politics and policies, as well as the challenges that environmental issues pose to political systems. The course will explore competing theories within international relations regarding collaboration and conflicts related to international environmental and natural resource issues.

The course will examine the relationships between states, international organizations, the scientific community, non-governmental actors such as the environmental movement and companies, and the role these actors play in intergovernmental climate change negotiations, international regimes, transnational environmental regulations, and the political economy. Through this course, students will gain a better understanding of the challenges that environmental problems present to political systems and will be able to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of different policy responses to these challenges.