Course Description
Climate justice helps us understand who becomes more precarious under climate change and who does not. This class explores the uneven approaches to and experiences of climate change, why some actions on climate change exacerbate existing inequalities, and real-world actions that can address issues of climate injustice.
Athena Title
Climate Justice
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Course Objectives: - Students will learn the landscape of climate policy and climate change governing institutions. - Students will learn the essentials of climate change science and prediction used in policymaking and activism. - Students will learn the role that civil society and advocacy organizations play in climate justice. - Students will learn key terms for evaluating climate injustice (e.g., climate apartheid, climate gentrification). - Students will learn to identify possible policies and programs for addressing climate change and inequality in climate action. Learning Outcomes: The course will produce the following outcomes: i) Students will have a deep knowledge of major debates, theoretical positions, and policy options for addressing climate change with a climate justice lens. ii) Students will develop their critical thinking skills about inequalities associated with various actions or inaction on climate change. iii) Students will further understand the ways that geographies of climate justice are shaped by political institutions, economic interests, and civil society.
Topical Outline
Foundations: Introductions and Key Terms Foundations of Climate Science (1): How We Know Past and Future Climates Foundations of Climate Science (2): Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Impacts Disasters, Vulnerability, and Resilience What is Justice? Critical Climate Justice? Institutions and Governance: Role of the State in Climate Governance/Justice International Climate Negotiations/Expertise Carbon Markets and Energy Transitions Key Climate Justice Challenges: Media, Public Opinion, and Climate Denialism Climate Apartheid Carbon Gentrification Carbon Colonization/Land Grabs Activism and Resistance: Petroleum Pipelines and Indigenous Sovereignty/Blockades/Water Protectors Abolitions Ecologies and Climate Justice Feminist Approaches to Climate Science Global Climate Strikes