Navigating a Climate of Change

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

Thirty years of multilateral negotiations, institution building, improvements in energy efficiency and extensive research have failed to slow the growth of global greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the Earth’s atmosphere. Consequently, the risks generated by global climate change are escalating and climate change is now a recognized risk multiplier in national security and development planning. Effective institutions, or rules of the game, are needed to apportion access to the atmospheric commons. New and disruptive technologies and incentives are also necessary to foster innovation and channel finance into carbon neutral solutions and business models. Beginning with the latest scientific consensus on climate, the course explores several themes, including (i) various framings of this intergenerational challenge, (ii) the prospects for effective multilateral agreements such as the Paris Agreement, (ii) policy instruments such as carbon markets, “cap and trade,” and carbon taxes, (iii) emerging climate-climate-related technologies, including geoengineering schemes, (iv) climate-related market opportunities and business models, (v) climate change and the potential for regional conflict, (vi) climate impact on international issues including public health and migration. Individual assignments provide students with the scope to pursue areas of personal interest, such as in international development, ethics and climate justice, migration, and productive sectors such as agriculture and forestry, the built environment (including infrastructure) among several other issues.