ClassInfo

Global climate change poses perhaps the most significant environmental challenge of this generation. In the very recent past, climate policy at the international level and in many nations and sub-national jurisdictions have begun to change in unprecedented ways (e.g. the Paris Agreement and its set of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, the U.S. Clean Power Plan, and a variety of state and local renewable energy policies). These changes are inspiring optimism following decades of relative slowly evolving policy. As policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change continue to take shape, what do policy makers and analysts need to know to take effective action?

This course will explore existing and proposed approaches to mitigate and adapt to climate change through policies that cross scales of governance (from the local to the global) and that impact a wide range of sectors (energy, transportation, manufacturing, water, agriculture, buildings, etc.). The course will explore climate change policy from a variety of disciplinary approaches and perspectives, emphasizing economic logic, ethical principles, and institutional feasibility. Students will have the opportunity to develop deep knowledge of climate change in particular countries through a team final project. A key theme of the course will be how policy can be shaped in the face of a variety of competing interests to achieve commonly desired outcomes.

This course is designed for graduate students but advanced undergraduates may enroll with instructor permission. This course will complement several other offerings in the science, technology, and environmental policy (STEP) area at the Humphrey School.