B0142 - ENVIRONMENT IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Anno Accademico 2022/2023

  • Docente: Giulia Cimini
  • Crediti formativi: 8
  • SSD: SPS/14
  • Lingua di insegnamento: Inglese

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

Il corso mira a fornire agli studenti gli strumenti per comprendere questioni e temi chiave nella politica ambientale, sia da una prospettiva teorica che pratica. Le questioni ambientali saranno discusse criticamente, con particolare attenzione per il ruolo e le responsabilità delle grandi potenze nella politica internazionale del cambiamento climatico, le asimmetrie di potere e la crisi ecologica globale. Alla fine del corso gli studenti: 1) avranno acquisito essenziali strumenti concettuali, teorici e metodologici per affrontare e comprendere le questioni ambientali; 2) avranno appreso le principali interpretazioni della sicurezza ambientale; 3) avranno acquisito una conoscenza di base delle grandi potenze ambientali (Stati Uniti, Cina, Unione Europea, India, Brasile, Russia) e delle istituzioni internazionali e aree tematiche specifiche (Consiglio di Sicurezza delle Nazioni Unite, accordi ambientali multilaterali, leadership internazionale sul clima, politica del carbone); 5) saranno in grado di applicare gli strumenti acquisiti all’analisi di casi concreti.

Contenuti

The course is organized in two sections: Lectures (L) and Seminars (S), along the "Y" system, as detailed below. Seminars and lectures will be held in presence for students of the Bologna campus and on line (on MS Teams) for students of the Forlì campus.

For attending students, active participation is an essential part of the course. Consequently, students are required to carefully read the assigned material before the class (materials will be made available once the course begins on the “Virtuale” page of the course).

Flexibility and changes on the structure of the course might take place due to emergency contingencies as well as suggestions from students.

 

**NB: Students in Bologna and Forlì are subject to different regulations as to whether they can attend or not. In case of doubt, they are invited to contact the lecturer in good time.

 

Course content and organization:

First section: Lectures

Lectures (16 hours: 8 lectures – 2 hours each, twice a week) aim to introduce students to the core tenets of the discipline and the main actors involved. The entire class will attend at the same time. This is the lower part of the Y.

The topics covered in the first part of the course are scheduled as follows:

  • Week 1. (Tuesday, 21 February - Wednesday, 22 February) Course Introduction: Environmental Development, Issues and Themes
  • Week 2. (Tuesday, 28 February - Wednesday, 1 March) The Environment in International Politics: History, Theories, Concepts, and Approaches
  • Week 3. (Tuesday, 7 March – Wednesday, 8 March) Environmental Security, and the Climate Change-Conflict Nexus
  •  Week 4. (Tuesday, 14 March – Wednesday, 15 March) Environmental Actors, Institutions and Processes: Environmental Responsibilities, Great Powers, and Beyond

 

Second section: Seminars

In the seminar part current debates and empirical cases are discussed in light of the theories and concepts examined during the Lectures. The seminars aim to provide occasions for in-depth discussions of specific topics, focusing on the analysis and understanding of the challenges that characterize environmental security and responsibilities. Students will have the opportunity to do group exercises and simulations for writing assignments.

This second section (the upper part of the Y) features two alternative seminars. This implies that students will be divided into two more or less equal-sized groups, whose members will preferably all work in presence or all remotely. Each group will attend ONLY ONE among the two seminars:

 

SEM1. The European Union: A Green Great Power? (12 hours: 6 seminars – 2 hours each)

SEM2. Environment and Green Transitions in the Mediterranean Space (12 hours: 6 seminars – 2 hours each)

 

Please note that in order to achieve two balanced groups and to take students' preferences and inclinations into account, the final composition of the groups will be defined at the beginning of the course and in any case once the numbers of attending students are clear. Specific thematic interests may be discussed with the lecturer.

Flexibility and changes on the structure of the course might take place due to emergency contingencies as well as suggestions from students.

 

The topics covered in the second part of the course are scheduled as follows:

 SEM1. The European Union: A Green Great Power?

S1.1 Narratives of climate change in the EU (Tue. 21 March)

S1.2 Politicizing climate change in times of populism: EU trends (Tue. 28 March)

S1.3 EU environmental policy in the making (Tue. 4 April)

S1.4 EU environmental policy in times of crisis (Tue. 18 April)

S1.5 Leaving no one behind? Social justice and the politics of the EU green transition (Tue. 2 May)

S1.6 The EU and environmental leadership (Wed. 3 May)

 

SEM2. Environment and Green Transitions in the Mediterranean Space

S2.1 Environmental narratives (Wed. 22 March)

S2.2 Environmental politics (Wed. 29 March)

S2.3 Euro-Med relations, green transitions and security (Wed. 5 April)

S2.4 Country case-study: Morocco (Wed. 12 April)

S2.5 Country case-study: Turkey (Wed. 19 April)

S2.6 Country case-study: Jordan (Wed. 26 April)

 

In sum, at the end of the course each student will attend 8 lectures (twice a week) and 6 seminars (once a week). For each student, the total amount of hours is 28 hours of classroom activities (whether in presence or remotely). Since this amount is lower than the amount generally associated with an exam of 8 CFU (40hours), the course requires a slightly higher number of pages to read and an active participation during the seminars.

 

 

 

Testi/Bibliografia

Attending students:

 

 First Section (Lectures) 

 Please note that all the readings listed below are compulsory, unless otherwise indicated (e.g., recommended).

They will be uploaded on the Unibo online platform VIRTUALE as the classes begin.

Further readings for the seminar part could be assigned once the course begins depending on the number of presenting students and for an updated discussion with relevant contingent events.

Week 1. (Tuesday, 21 February - Wednesday, 22 February) Course Introduction: Environmental Development, Issues and Themes

  • Jasanoff, Sheila. 2001. “Image and Imagination: The Formation of Global Environmental Consciousness.” In Changing the Atmosphere: Expert Knowledge and Environmental Governance, edited by Clark A. Miller and Paul N. Edwards, 309-337. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
  • O’Neill, Kate. 2017. “Global Environmental Problems.” In The Environment and International Relations, 28-50. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Hoffmann, Matthew J. 2013. “Global Climate Change.” In The Handbook of Global Climate and Environment Policy, edited by Robert Falkner, 3–18. Handbooks of Global Policy. London: John Wiley & Sons.

 

Week 2. (Tuesday, 28 February - Wednesday, 1 March) The Environment in International Politics: History, Theories, Concepts, and Approaches

  • O’Neill, Kate. 2017. “Introduction: The Environment and International Relations.” In The Environment and International Relations, 1-27. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • O’Neill, Kate. 2017. “Conclusions: The Environment and International Relations in the Twenty-First Century.” In The Environment and International Relations, 233-243. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Falkner, Robert, and Barry Buzan. 2022. “Introduction.” In Great Powers, Climate Change, and Global Environmental Responsibilities, edited by Robert Falkner and Barry Buzan, 14-48. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

 

Week 3. (Tuesday, 7 March – Wednesday, 8 March)Environmental Security, and the Climate Change-Conflict Nexus

  • Barnett, Jon, and Geoff Dabelko. 2019. “Environmental Security.” In Contemporary Security Studies, edited by Alan Collins, 235–252. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Peoples, Columba, and Nick Vaughan-Williams. 2010. “Environmental Security.” In Critical Security Studies. An Introduction, 91–104. Abingdon and New York: Routledge.
  • Barnett, Jon. 2000. “Destabilizing the Environment-Conflict Thesis.” Review of International Studies 26 (2): 271–288.
  • Salehyan, Idean. 2014. “Climate Change and Conflict: Making Sense of Disparate Findings.” Political Geography 43: 1–5.
  • Murray, Elizabeth Hope. 2019. “Environmental Security and Conflict.” In Environmental Security: Concepts, Challenges, and Case Studies, edited by John M. Lanicci, Elizabeth H. Murray and James D. Ramsay, 159-175. Boston: American Meteorological Society.

 

Week 4. (Tuesday, 14 March – Wednesday, 15 March) Environmental Actors, Institutions and Processes: Environmental Responsibilities, Great Powers, and Beyond

  • O’Neill, Kate. 2017. “Actors in Global Environmental Politics.” In The Environment and International Relations, 51-78. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Falkner, Robert, and Barry Buzan. 2022. “Great Powers and Environmental Responsibilities: A Conceptual Framework.” In Great Powers, Climate Change, and Global Environmental Responsibilities, edited by Robert Falkner and Barry Buzan, 14-48. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Kopra, Sanna. 2022. “Great Power Responsibility and International Climate Leadership.” In Great Powers, Climate Change, and Global Environmental Responsibilities, edited by Robert Falkner and Barry Buzan, 208-226. Oxford: Oxford University
  • Duit, Andreas, Peter H. Feindt, and James Meadowcroft. 2016. “Greening Leviathan: The Rise of the Environmental State?” Environmental Politics 25 (1): 1–23.

 

Second section (seminars)

SEM1. The European Union: A Green Great Power?

S1.1 Narratives of climate change in the EU (Tue. 21 March)

  • Machin, Amanda. 2019. "Changing the Story? The Discourse of Ecological Modernisation in the European Union." Environmental Politics 28 (2): 208–227.
  • Dupont, Claire. 2019. “The EU’s Collective Securitisation of Climate Change”. West European Politics 42 (2): 369–390.
  • Trombetta, Maria Julia. 2008. “Environmental Security and Climate Change: Analysing the Discourse.” Cambridge Review of International Affairs 21 (4): 585–602.  (recommended).

S1.2 Politicizing climate change in times of populism: EU trends (Tue. 28 March)

  • McCright, Aaron M., Riley E. Dunlap, and Sandra T. Marquart-Pyatt. 2016. “Political Ideology and Views about Climate Change in the European Union.” Environmental Politics 25 (2): 338–538.
  • Lockwood, Matthew. 2018. “Right-Wing Populism and the Climate Change Agenda: Exploring the Linkages.” Environmental Politics 27 (4): 712–732.
  • Turner, Joe, and Dan Bailey. 2022. “’Ecobordering’: Casting Immigration Control as Environmental Protection.” Environmental Politics 31 (1): 110–131. (recommended)

 

S1.3 EU environmental policy in the making (Tue. 4 April)

  • Wurzel, Rüdiger K.W., Duncan Liefferink, and Maurizio Di Lullo. 2019. “The European Council, the Council and the Member States: Changing Environmental Leadership Dynamics in the European Union.” Environmental Politics 28 (2): 248–270.
  • Zito, Anthony R., Charlotte Burns, and Andrea Lenschow. 2019. “Is the Trajectory of European Union Environmental Policy Less Certain?” Environmental Politics 28 (2): 187–207.

S1.4 EU environmental policy in times of crisis (Tue. 18 April)

  • Burns, Charlotte, Peter Eckersley, and Paul Tobin. 2020. “EU Environmental Policy in Times of Crisis.” Journal of European Public Policy 27 (1): 1–19.
  • Homeyer, Ingmar von, Sebastian Oberthür, and Andrew J. Jordan. 2021. “EU Climate and Energy Governance in Times of Crisis: Towards a New Agenda.” Journal of European Public Policy 28 (7): 959–979.
  • Dupont, Claire, Sebastian Oberthür, and Ingmar von Homeyer. 2020. “The Covid-19 Crisis: A Critical Juncture for EU Climate Policy Development?” Journal of European Integration 42 (8): 1095–1110.

 

 S1.5 Leaving no one behind? Social justice and the politics of the EU green transition (Tue. 2 May)

  • Youngs, Richard, and Namita Kambli. 2023. Climate Action, Social Justice, and Democracy: Europe’s New Trilemma. Carnegie Europe Article. February 2. (link)

  • Sarkki, Simo, Alice Ludvig, Maria Nijnik, and Serhiy Kopiy. 2022. “Embracing Policy Paradoxes: EU’s Just Transition Fund and the Aim ‘to Leave No One Behind’”. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics 22 (4): 761–792.

  • McCauley, Darren, Kerry A. Pettigrew, Iain Todd, and Christine Milchram. 2023. “Leaders and Laggards in the Pursuit of an EU Just Transition.” Ecological Economics 205: 107699.

 

S1.6 The EU and environmental leadership (Wed. 3 May)

  • Parker, Charles F., Christer Karlsson, and Mattias Hjerpe. 2017. “Assessing the European Union’s Global Climate Change Leadership: From Copenhagen to the Paris Agreement.” Journal of European Integration 39 (2): 239–252.
  • Oberthür, Sebastian, and Claire Dupont. 2021. “The European Union’s International Climate Leadership: Towards a Grand Climate Strategy?” Journal of European Public Policy 28 (7): 1095–1114.

  • Biedenkopf, Katia, Claire Dupont, and Diarmuid Torney. 2022. “The European Union: A Green Great Power?” In Great Powers, Climate Change, and Global Environmental Responsibilities, edited by Robert Falkner and Barry Buzan, 95-115. Oxford: Oxford University

 

SEM2. Environment and Green Transitions in the Mediterranean Space

S2.1 Environmental narratives (Wed. 22 March)

  • Hoffmann, Clemens. 2018. “Environmental Determinism as Orientalism: The Geo-Political Ecology of Crisis in the Middle East.” Journal of Historical Sociology 31 (1): 94–104.  
  • Davis, Diana K. 2011. “Imperialism, Orientalism, and the Environment in the Middle East: History, Policy, Power, and Practice.” In Environmental Imaginaries of the Middle East and North Africa, edited by Diana K. Davis and Edmond Burke III, 1-22. Athens: Ohio University Press.
  • Davis, Diana K. 2020. “Of Deserts and Decolonization: Dispelling Myths about Drylands.” MIT Press Reader. (link)

S2.2 Environmental politics (Wed. 29 March)

  • Verhoeven, Harry. 2018. “Introduction: The Middle East in Global Environmental Politics.” In Environmental Politics in the Middle East: Local Struggles, Global Connections, edited by Harry Verhoeven. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Sowers, Jeannie. 2022. “Introduction: Environmental Politics in the Middle East and North Africa. In Environmental Politics in the Middle East and North Africa, edited by Jeannie Sowers and Mark Lynch. POMEPS Studies 46, May. (link)
  • Moneer Aziza. 2020. “Environmental Activism in the Post-Arab Spring: It is not about a Mere Clean Environment.” In Euromed Survey of Experts and Actors. Civil Society and Social Movements in the Euromediterranean Region, 66-73. IEMed - European Institute of the Mediterranean (link)

S2.3 Euro-Med relations, green transitions and security (Wed. 5 April)

  • Seagle Adriana. 2019. “Environmental (In)Security in the Middle East.” In Regional Security in the Middle East Sectors, Variables and Issues, edited by Bettina Koch and Yannis A. Stivachtis, 80-97. Bristol: E-International Relations.
  • Bremberg, Niklas. 2022. “Climate Security in the Mediterranean: What Prospects for Regional Cooperation?” In Climate Change and Security in the Mediterranean: Exploring the Nexus, Unpacking International Policy Responses, edited by A. Dessì and F. Fusco, 35-58. IAI Research Studies 9. Rome: Edizioni Nuova Cultura (link)
  • Herranz-Surrallés, Anna. 2021. The Green Transition: A New and Shared Paradigm in the EU Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood? In Euro-Mediterranean Dimension of the New European Policies, IEMed Mediterranean Yearbook 2021, 24-30 (link)
  • Akçalı, Emel, Evrim Görmüş Soli Özel. 2022. “Energy Transitions and Environmental Geopolitics in the Southern Mediterranean.” IAI Commentaries, April 7 (link)

 

S2.4 Country case-study: Morocco (Wed. 12 April)

  • Rignall, Karen E. 2016. “Solar power, state power, and the politics of energy transition in pre-Saharan Morocco.” Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 48(3): 540–557.
  • Bengezi, Khaoula. 2022. “New Constructions of Environmental Orientalism: Climate Change Mitigation Solar Power Projects in the Sahara Desert.” In Environmental Politics in the Middle East and North Africa, edited by Jeannie Sowers and Mark Lynch. POMEPS Studies 46, May. (link)

 

S2.5 Country case-study: Turkey (Wed. 19 April)

  • Adaman, Fikret, and Murat Arsel. 2016. “Climate Policy in Turkey: A Paradoxical Situation?” L’Europe En Formation 2 (380): 26–38.
  • Arsel, Murat. 2022. “Environmentalism without Environmentalists? Climate Change and the State in Turkey.” InEnvironmental Politics in the Middle East and North Africa, edited by Jeannie Sowers and Mark Lynch. POMEPS Studies 46, May. (link)

 

S2.6 Country case-study: Jordan (Wed. 26 April)

  • Benedict, Skylar, and Hussam Hussein. 2019. “An Analysis of Water Awareness Campaign Messaging in the Case of Jordan: Water Conservation for State Security” Water 11 (6): 1156.
  • Weinthal, Erika, Neda Zawahri, and Jeannie Sowers. 2015. “Securitizing Water, Climate, and Migration in Israel, Jordan, and Syria.” International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics 15 (3): 293–307.
  • Abu Hamdan, Taraf. 2022. “Soil, Dirt, Earth: Deserts, Rural Communities, and Power in Jordan.” In Environmental Politics in the Middle East and North Africa, edited by Jeannie Sowers and Mark Lynch. POMEPS Studies 46, May. (link)

 

Non-Attending students:

  1. Robert Falkner and Barry Buzan (eds.). Great Powers, Climate Change, and Global Environmental Responsibilities. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022.
  2. Kate O’Neill. The Environment and International Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017.
  3. Readings provided by the professor (academic articles, reports, chapters). The full list is available on Virtuale within the file "Q&A for non-attending students".

Metodi didattici

The course combines frontal classes, discussions and presentations.

Lectures will resemble traditional frontal classes, even if questions and comments are more than welcome.

Seminars will feature individual/group presentations on assigned readings and debate. Students will be invited to discuss different ideas and arguments based on compulsory weekly readings: more specifically, they will be asked to engage in critical analysis of these materials, compare and contrast different case-studies, discuss peers' responses, situate their arguments within the relevant scholarly debate and elaborate independently on the main conceptual points raised during the lectures. Active contribution to seminars is considered extremely important and it will be subjected to assessment.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Attending and non-attending students are invited to check the detailed information (e.g., deadlines, templates, instruction step by step, topics for essay, etc.) available on Virtuale within the files "Q&A for attending students" and "Q&A for non-attending students", respectively.

 

Attending students:

The assessment of the acquisition of expected knowledge and abilities by the attending students is based on the following:

A) Short presentation during the seminars and active participation in class discussion (50% of the final grade, from 0 to 15 points).

1. In-class participation during lectures (10 % of the overall grade, from 0 to 3 points).

During lectures, students will be asked to speak on what was covered in the previous lesson.

2. In-class presentation (30 % of the overall grade, from 0 to 9 points)

For each seminar, some students will be asked to present on the related readings as speakers and/or discussants through a concise, 5-slide PowerPoint (or equivalent) presentation and a short one-page discussion paper (approximately 500 words) to be sent to the instructor two days before the seminar. Students could register on a shared calendar their preferred slots on a “first-come-first-served basis.” The calendar is expected to be finalized by the end of the second week of the course. Additional information on how to prepare the presentation will be given in class and other readings if necessary.

3. In-class participation in seminars led by others (10 % of the overall grade, from 0 to 3 points).

Attendance and participation in other seminar discussions are also assessed. All those students who are not presenting – and who are expected to have read the readings in advance – will be called upon to intervene in the discussion with questions and comments.

The assessment will not be restricted to factual knowledge. Still, it will also consider the ability to link theoretical approaches and empirical realities, synthesize and make connections between the issues addressed during the lectures, and critical thinking, accuracy, and clarity of presentations.

 

B) Elaboration of a short essay (50 % of the final grade, from 0 to 15 points)

The assignment consists of a take-home (open book) essay (also in the form of a research/policy report) of max. 4,000 words, including footnotes and references. It will be on a topic of choice from a list made available on Virtuale and discussed in class. Before starting their work, all students are kindly requested to agree on the final topic and structure of the essay with the lecturer.

In general, essays should be structured around an introduction (a brief overview of the topic and how it will be treated), a main body where the central tenets of the theory/approach are discussed and applied to the analysis of historical events, and a short conclusion.

Essays must be typed, line-spaced 1.5, properly footnoted, and contain a brief but relevant final bibliography (at least five among scholarly articles, book chapters, and monographs). References to the required and recommended reading materials are expected, preferably according to the Harvard referencing style.

Essays must be submitted by a date set by the professor (from mid-May onwards). Late submissions will be penalized (- 0.50 points a day).

The assessment will consider theoretical references to the literature and historical accuracy, coherence, clarity, and consistency of the argument, completeness of the paper, ability to summarize, clarity of exposition, ability to make connections between the various topics covered, accuracy in the bibliography and use of sources, as well as an original and critical thinking. Further information on how to prepare your essay will be given during classes.

UNIBO’s ethics code binds students. Plagiarism should be avoided with the utmost attention: please ensure quotations are done correctly. All written exams will be checked with the software Compilatio. Any plagiarism will invalidate the whole exam, while unethical behavior could be denounced to university authorities.

 

Non-attending students:

Non-attending students are invited to contact the lecturer in good time to ensure that they clearly understand the study material, the timing, and how best to proceed.

The final result is made out of the following:

A) Elaboration of a short essay (30 % of the final grade, from 0 to 9 points)

Please consider the relevant instructions mentioned in the section above. Information on the take-home assignments equally applies to non-attending students except for the deadline. Essays from non-attending students are expected to be handed in by the end of the course and anyway before the exam session starts. Specific and proven difficulties in meeting this deadline can be previously discussed with the lecturer. If necessary, a short oral interview (online) may be held to discuss the paper once it has been submitted and evaluated.

B) A written test (70% of the final grade, from 0 to 21)

Students will take the test in person on one of the dates in the ordinary exam session (summer–autumn). All non-attending students, either from the Bologna or Forlì campuses, will, therefore, take the test in Bologna. It will consist of 3 open questions on the entire course program referred to non-attending students. The time available to the student for this test is 45 minutes. Students are invited to bring a laptop to take the test, while using support material (textbooks, notes, etc.) is not permitted. Grades are based on the following criteria: knowledge of topics covered, expository ability, and use of appropriate specialized vocabulary.

Grading policy (for both attending and non-attending students)

The final overall grade will be in the range of 18-30: 

17 or below: fail: insufficient grasp of the material

18-20: pass, barely sufficient understanding of the material

21-23: satisfactory, partial grasp of the material. Elementary knowledge of the subject not always correct, sufficient expository ability, sufficiently appropriate use of concepts

24-25: good grasp of the subject, reasonably correct expositive ability, fair use of concepts

26-27: very good knowledge of the subject, good presentation skills, good use of concepts

28-30: excellent, confident grasp of all the material and some interesting insights, precise knowledge of the subject, very good presentation skills, very good use of concepts

30 cum laude: outstanding, sure grasp of all the material and many interesting insights. Precise knowledge of the subject matter, very good presentation skills, very appropriate use of concepts, and relevant personal reworking of knowledge.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Ms Teams, Virtuale, videos, PowerPoint (the slides in PowerPoint will be made available to the students at the end of week. Please note that they do not substitute the material and readings, but are conceived as a simple support).

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Giulia Cimini

SDGs

Energia pulita e accessibile Lotta contro il cambiamento climatico Pace, giustizia e istituzioni forti Partnership per gli obiettivi

L'insegnamento contribuisce al perseguimento degli Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile dell'Agenda 2030 dell'ONU.