In this course you will gain a clear understanding of the major social, political and economic challenges that limit a coordinated response to the emerging climate crisis.

By viewing climate change as a political, rather than an exclusively scientific issue, you will be able to identify the challenges that too often erode meaningful resolutions both domestically and abroad.

The course includes video and audio resources, readings and questions for you to explore. 

OBJECTIVES

This course will help you to:

Understand how the climate system has been changing

Articulate the impacts on social and political systems

Explore political systems and their role in climate change

QUESTIONS

Some of the questions you will explore include:

What are the causes and associated impacts of climate change?

How have environmental movements evolved over time? 

Why do some  politicians recognise the severity of climate change while others deny its existence entirely?

What factors undermine our ability to address the emerging climate crisis and how do these challenges differ from one context to the next? 

Can humanity come together to create a more sustainable and prosperous future?

In this video, Henry Willis, Haileybury's Head of Humanities, looks at some of the following questions:

In what ways does international society try to ‘collectively’ address the issue of climate change?

What challenges exist that undermine these efforts?

Why did President Trump withdraw from the Paris Accords and are his actions justified from a realist perspective?

How could you apply the zero-sum OR positive-sum perspectives to the scenario outlined in this article?

Should climate change be recognised as a third-agenda issue to be addressed globally OR as a series of smaller, local issues, that should be addressed individually by each state?

READ MORE AND EXPLORE THE THEMES

THE LEFT: FORCE
Read: Clearing the Air.

What kind of government intervention is required to make a significant difference to the issue of climate change?

THE RIGHT: FREEDOM
Read: A Burning Question and How to Block Blazes

If Australians are dissatisfied with the government's lack of intervention to address climate change and the recent bush fires, why did they vote to re-elect the Morrison government in 2019?

CARBON TAX
Read: Australia's Carbon Tax

To what extent does a carbon tax help resolve the issue of climate change?

COVID-19
Read: COVID-19 and Climate Change

Will the Covid-19 pandemic benefit or challenge international climate change resolutions?

PRAGMATISM
Read: Rays of Hope and Green Texas

What are the practical benefits of pursuing sustainable forms of energy?

The social spectrum and how people are open to change.

In this video, Henry Willis, Haileybury's Head of Humanities, looks at some of the following questions:

In what ways does international society try to ‘collectively’ address the issue of climate change?

What challenges exist that undermine these efforts?

Why did President Trump withdraw from the Paris Accords and are his actions justified from a realist perspective?

How could you apply the zero-sum OR positive-sum perspectives to the scenario outlined in this article?

Should climate change be recognised as a third-agenda issue to be addressed globally OR as a series of smaller, local issues, that should be addressed individually by each state?

Climate change and international relations.

In this video, Henry Willis, Haileybury's Head of Humanities, looks at some of the following questions:

In what ways does international society try to ‘collectively’ address the issue of climate change?

What challenges exist that undermine these efforts?

Why did President Trump withdraw from the Paris Accords and are his actions justified from a realist perspective?

How could you apply the zero-sum OR positive-sum perspectives to the scenario outlined in this article?

Should climate change be recognised as a third-agenda issue to be addressed globally OR as a series of smaller, local issues, that should be addressed individually by each state?