Environmental (In)justice and Island Societies: Towards Equitable, Sustainable Solutions

The island nations of the world are among the most vulnerable to the economic and social strains of globalization, and the impacts of climate change. This course will take a case-based approach to deconstructing and proposing equitable and sustainable solutions for various environmental justice challenges faced by islands across the Caribbean, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and Pacific. Cases will include: (a) Puerto Rico and self-determination in the post-Hurricane Maria period; (b) military occupation in the South China Sea; (c) ocean grabbing, territoriality and small-scale fishers in Kiribati; (d) nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands; and (e) climate-induced relocation in Fiji.