Climate Justice
| Module title | Climate Justice |
|---|---|
| Module code | POL3259 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Professor Catriona McKinnon (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
Climate change is one of the most urgent issues facing humanity. In the last thirty years climate scientists have made significant progress in understanding the causes and likely impacts of climate change. Climate change as a physical phenomenon will be a fact of life for many generations to come. It impacts on human society at all levels, from individual households in drought ravaged regions to world leaders seeking global agreements and institutions fit to coordinate action worldwide so as to minimise the risks of climate catastrophes for our children and the further future.
Given how changes to the climate bring changes to the political, social, economic, and cultural terms on which human beings must live together, climate change is clearly in the domain of political philosophy and ethics. For example, climate change engages - and often challenges - principles of equality, responsibility, legitimacy, and sustainability that have become well rooted in contemporary political philosophy.
This module will provide you with an advanced introduction to the central and emerging issues in the now fast-moving field of climate justice. The focus of the module will be on the political and ethical problems that climate change creates, and on how these problems might be tackled in ways that satisfy the demands of justice. The module will be taught in seminars that will include mini-lectures, student presentations, work in break out groups, and larger plenary-style discussion.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module will enable students to explore debates about the demands of climate justice and how climate policymaking reflects (or fails to reflect) these demands. It will encourage students to use the tools of political theory to explore the theoretical roots of climate justice, the responsibilities of individuals and groups, the demands of mitigation and adaptation, what we owe to future people, geoengineering proposals, climate denial, damage to human rights, ethics for climate catastrophes, and more.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Understand in depth the justice challenges created by climate change and critically evaluate proposals in the literature for meeting these challenges.
- 2. Recognise the salience of these challenges and proposals for real-world climate policy
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Assess normative arguments for their validity and soundness and begin to construct such arguments of your own.
- 4. Trace the evolution of abstract theoretical concepts into practical climate politics.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Engage in respectful conversation with others on contested political questions;
- 6. Study independently and manage time and assessment deadlines effectively
- 7. Communicate effectively in speech and writing.
- 8. Present your own views on a topic with support from arguments and evidence;
- 9. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills through tutorial discussions and module assessments
- 10. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the internet, online journal databases and other IT resources for the purposes of tutorial and assessment preparation.
- 11. Demonstrate effective applied writing
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover at least the following topics:
- an introduction to the science and politics of climate change
- a theoretical analysis of the problem of climate change
- consideration of the bases of climate responsibility
- assessment of individuals and groups as bearers of climate duties
- exploration of the demands of intergenerational justice in the face of climate change
- climate displacement and resettlement
- geoengineering proposals
- climate denial
- hope and despair
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 44 | 22 x 2-hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 100 | Private study reading and preparing for seminars |
| Guided independent study | 156 | Preparation for essay and pre-seen exam including researching and collating relevant sources; planning the structure and argument; writing up the essay |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay outline | 500 words | 1-11 | Written |
| Case study | 500 words | 1-11 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 25 | 1500 words | 1-11 | Written |
| Essay | 25 | 1500 words | 1-11 | Written |
| Open book exam | 50 | 24 hours (1.5 hours equivalent) | 1-11 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (1500 words) 25% | 1-11 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay | Essay (1500 words) 25% | 1-11 | August/September reassessment period |
| Open book exam 24 hours | Open book exam (24 hours/1.5 hours equivalent) | 1-11 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Caney, S., 2006. ‘Cosmopolitan justice, responsibility, and global climate change’. Leiden Journal of International Law, 18 (4).
Draper, J., and McKinnon, C., 2018. The ethics of climate-induced community displacement and resettlement. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 9 (3).
Gardiner, S.M., 2011. A perfect moral storm: the ethical tragedy of climate change. Oxford University Press.
Jamieson, D., 2014. Reason in a dark time. Oxford University Press.
McKinnon, C., 2011. Climate change and future justice. Routledge.
McKinnon, C., 2018. ‘Sleepwalking into lock-in? Avoiding wrongs to future people in the governance of solar radiation management research’. Environmental Politics, published online 28 March 2018.
Moellendorf, D., 2013. The moral challenge of dangerous climate change. Cambridge University Press.
Preston, C. (ed), 2012. Engineering the climate. Lexington Books.Schlosberg, D., 2012. ‘Climate justice and capabilities: a framework for adaptation policy’. Ethics and International Affairs, 26 (4), 445-461.
Shue, H., 2014. Climate Justice. Oxford University Press.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Carbon Brief: www.carbonbrief.org
World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org/
IPCC: https://www.ipcc.ch/
Desmogblog: https://www.desmogblog.com/
Climate Equity Reference Project: https://climateequityreference.org/
Project Drawdown: https://www.drawdown.org/
Climate Action Tracker: https://climateactiontracker.org/
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change: http://wires.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WiresJournal/wisId-WCC.html
The Guardian, Climate Change: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | none |
| Module co-requisites | none |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 14/01/2020 |
| Last revision date | 02/03/2022 |
