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From climate change to biodiversity loss, ozone depletion to deforestation and waste, global environmental problems significantly threaten life on Earth. In this module we will study the politics of responding to these international challenges.

We will begin by looking at the current state of the environment and understanding why global environmental problems arise, covering key ideas like the Anthropocene and the Great Acceleration.

We will then study International Relations theory in the context of environmental politics, identify key political actors, review theories of collective action, and understand the processes of international environmental regime formation.

Next we turn to analysing the development of the global climate change regime. We then take a detailed look at North-South politics, gender, health, security, capitalism, and policy responses.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Describe global environmental problems
• Identify key actors involved in global environmental politics
• Apply broader theories of International Relations to questions of environmental politics
• Explain the politics of environmental policy outcomes
• Formulate theoretically and empirically informed global environmental policy analysis

Please note that POLS0023 is an advanced political science module. Its delivery is based on the assumption that you are familiar with concepts and theories central to the field. If this is not the case (e.g., because you are a student from outside the Department), you may find additional background reading necessary to appropriately engage with the course material. The following texts are recommended:

Baylis, John, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens. 2013. The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations. 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, chaps. 5, 8, 16, 19, 21 & 22.

Frieden, Jeffry, David A. Lake, and Kenneth Schultz. 2013. World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions. W. W. Norton, chaps. 1, 2, 7, 10 & 14.

Knill, Christoph, and Jale Tosun. 2012. Public Policy: A New Introduction. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

You may also want to look at the POLS0023 reading list from last year (accessible via the UCL Library) to get an idea of the readings and topics covered in the module itself. Also, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.