Intl Dev: Ocean Sci Pol

1 Credit · Level: Undergraduate

Covering over 70% of the Earth’s surface, it’s no surprise that the ocean is an important component of all things global - the economy, biodiversity, climate, and even politics. Over the course of a semester, we will explore topics at the intersection of ocean science and international development policy and programming. We will discuss the importance of fisheries, both wild caught and farmed, to the global economy and global food security, and learn about the scientific methods and discoveries that help us understand this. We will also examine the multiple threats to fisheries sustainability, including illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing as well as forced labor. The geopolitics of the ocean- as it relates to international negotiations for addressing the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change- will also be examined. In terms of addressing climate change, the ocean has a dual role to play, providing nature-based solutions for both adaptation (i.e., increasing the resilience of communities to the effects of climate change) as well as mitigation (i.e., drawing down carbon, and thereby counteracting the human-induced increase in atmospheric greenhouse gasses). The course will be highly transdisciplinary, considering the current scientific, social, political, economic, and environmental issues being faced by developing countries.