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GEOG 696I Political Ecology - Climate Policy and the Countdown to Copenhagen (Fall 2009)
Overview
The focus of this seminar will be to examine the political ecology of the international climate negotiations with particular attention to policies under discussion in the UNFCCC meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009. We will examine the key issues, theoretical frameworks, and policy analyses that underlie the main negotiating tracks including those of targets and timetables for greenhouse gas emission reductions, the differentiation of responsibility among countries, the role of flexible mechanisms including carbon trading and the Clean Development Mechanism, issues of technology transfer, adaptation, and the role of non nation state actors.
Instructor
Professor Diana Liverman is co-director of the UA Institute for the Environment with research interests that focus on climate and development, adaptation, carbon offsets, Latin America, environmental governance and climate policy (http://environment.arizona.edu/diana-liverman). Her connections to the international climate negotiations are a result of her collaboration with the UK Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, her membership of the US Academies Committee on America's Climate Choices, her role in the March 2009 International Science Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, and her role as chair of the ESSP Global Environmental Change and Food Systems (GECAFS) program.
Grading and Assessment
Students enrolled in the seminar will be assessed based on contributions to class and web based discussions (20%), four brief policy analysis papers of 1000 words each (40%), and a course paper of no more than 5000 words (40%)
Course meeting time
First course meeting will be at 3pm on Monday August 24th in Room 531 Marshall. We will then meet on a series of Monday afternoons (probably from 2.30 or 3 until 5) and Fridays over the semester. We have adjusted the class time so as to avoid overlap with the Global Change seminar taught by Tim Finan (which will now begin at 5pm on Mondays). Apologies in advance for the breaks in schedule as a result of the instructors prior committments to national and international committees.
Course Schedule and Outline
| Aug 24 (M 3-5) | Introduction |
| Aug 28 (F 9-11) | Historical perspectives on international climate policy |
| Aug 31 (M) | No class (DL Americas Climate Choices Irvine) |
| Sep 4 (F 9-11) | Patterns and drivers of emissions and impacts |
| Sep 7 (M) | No class (Labor day) |
| Sep 14 (M) | No class (DL Tipping Points, UK) |
| Sep 18 (F 9-11) | Theories of international environmental governance |
| Sep 21 (M) | No class (DL Climate and food UK) |
| Sep 28 (M) | No class (DL World at 5 degrees UK) |
| Oct 5 (M 3.30-5.30) | The role of non nation state actors |
| Oct 12 (M 3.30-5.30) | Ethics and the debates over responsibility |
| Oct 16 (F 9-11) | Targets and timetables for emission reductions |
| Oct 19 (M 3.30-5.30) | Carbon trading |
| Oct 23 (F 9-11) | Clean Development Mechanism and carbon offsets |
| Oct 26 (M 3.30-5.30) | Technology Cooperation |
| Nov 2 (M 3.30-5.30) | Adaptation |
| Nov 6 (F 9-11) | Forests and REDD |
| Nov 9 (M 3.30-5.30) | Case studies of key actors: EU, China, India |
| Nov 13 (F 9-11) | The US and Copenhagen |
| Nov 16 (M) | No class (DL Geoengineering protocol, Asilomar) |
| Nov 23 (M 3.30-5.30) | Understanding the negotiations (last course meeting) |
| Nov 30-Dec 18 | Copenhagen negotiations (no class) |
Office Hours
Wed Sep 9th 10am-11.30am
Wed Sep 16th 10-11am
Wed Oct 7th 10-11am
Wed Oct 21st 10-11am
Wed Nov 4th 10-11am
Wed Nov 18th 10-11am
Wed Nov 25th 10-11am
(or by appt)
Readings and discussion questions for each week and due dates for assigments