Global Environmental Politics (POLS30022)

This subject analyzes the politics of global environmental change, striving for critical thought that integrates both rigorous analysis and ethical reflection. The focus is on the consequences of political power struggles, institutions, and discourses for global sustainability and justice. What are the political foundations of the world’s most pressing environmental problems? How well equipped is the global community to address them? What role do states, multinational corporations, and environmental groups, among others, have to play in solving the global environmental crisis? To answer these questions, the subject analyzes topics such as the causes and consequences of unsustainable development, the ecological shadows of consumption, the contradictions of technology, the effectiveness of international agreements, the eco-business of ultinational corporations, and the value of certification and eco-consumerism.