GOVT-680 Comparative Environmental Politics: Climate Change (3)

This course explores social science theories and debates surrounding climate change and related environmental issues such as the transition to renewable energy sources and the implications of increasing strains on natural resources such as water. Parting from social science frames for environmental problems, such as the tragedy of the commons within scholarly literature on the collective action problem, the course looks concretely at the implications of this model, and its recent challenges by other political science theories relating to interest group distributive conflict. Students study explanatory strengths and limitations of the social sciences in explaining climate change and related environmental problems. The course looks at international, national, and subnational interest groups and actors across a range of cases around the world and considers the role of individual behavior. While focusing mostly on mitigation and the effort to decarbonize national energy systems, students also spend time understanding adaptation issues and how those may be addressed in the social sciences.