91661 - Institutions And Policies For Climate Change

Learning outcomes

The student will be able to frame the complex phenomeon of the climate change, to understand the main interdependencies pertaining to the economic and political aspects as well as to the local, sovranational and global dimensions. The students will be able to detect the main consequences in some areas of the economy, society and of international relations. The student will also be able to describe the origin and the evolution of international agreements and programs aiming at dealing with the climate change as well as to understand the impact of such phenomenon on different regions/areas of the world. Specifically, the module is concerned with the political and institutional dimensions of the climate change policies at the international European and national levels. In particular, the module: will provide an introduction to the issue and problem definition; a brief history of international climate change negotiations; an overview of how the international legal and policy framework to address climate change developed over time; a focus on EU efforts in promoting agreements. Institutions, policy programs and measure referred to sustainable agriculture, national and local policy programs will be illustrated.

Course contents

The course and the three sections are organized online. Sudents will be able to follow the lessons of the entire course remotely on MS TEAMS.

Present section of the course includes:

1. Introduction over basic concepts and contents of climate change politics and policies.

2. Overview of the international legal and policy framework for climate change

3. Global conventions and regimes,  key provisions of the UNFCCC, its organisational structure, and different Party groups

4. European Union initiatives and institutions in promoting climate change agreements; the Kyoto Protocol, COP 21 Paris Climate Change Conference, COP25  Madrid

5. Institutions, organizations and NGOs and policy programs  at national and subnational levels; case studies and sectoral in depth presentation of sectoral policies and measures related to sustainable agriculture, low carbon initiatives, local communities initiatives.

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliography common to all the modules; one of the following books, at choice

a) Mastrojeni G. e Pasini A., 2017, Effetto serra, effetto guerra. Clima, conflitti, migrazioni: l'Italia in prima linea, Chiarelettere Editore

b) Di Paola M., 2015, Cambiamento climatico. Una piccola introduzione, LUISS University Press.

Bibliography for the second module

GIDDENS A., 2015, La politica del cambiamento climatico, Il Saggiatore (only recommended chapters)

Wirth D.A., 2017, The Paris Agreemnet as a New Component of the UN Climate Regime.International Organization Research Journal, vol 12, n. 4, pp. 185-2014

DAMRO C. HARDIE I. & MACKENZIE D., 2008, The EU and Climate Change Policy Law Politics and Prominence at Different Levels, Journal of Contemporary European Research, vol. 4, n. 3, pp179-192.

CESPI, 2019, Lo stato di attuazione degli impegni di Parigi sul clima in vista della COP 25 di Madrid, Osservatorio Cespi, Roma

Optional readings:

Meadowcroft J., 2010, Climate Change Governance. The World Bank, World Development Report Team

JAMIESON D., 2011, The Nature of the problem, cap. 3 in DRYZEK J. et al (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society, Oxford University Press, pp. 38-54

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures, and seminaries of deepening with specialists could be organized.

Assessment methods

For the attending students there will be two mid-term exams and a final exam. Each mid-term exam is worth 30% of the final grade; the final exams 40%.

The first mid-term exam will cover the arguments of the first module. The second mid-term exam will cover the arguments of the second and third modules. In each mid-term exam students must answer to three open questions; each exam lasts two hours.

The final exam will be a Report that students write at home; this Report will then be discussed with the instructors during the oral final exam. The topic of the Report will be communicated by IOL. The Report must be sent to the instructors at least 10 days before the oral final exam.

For the not-attending students the final exam will be oral and it will cover all the required readings.

Teaching tools

Text-books, Readings, Slides,websitesand database, videos and official documents

Office hours

See the website of Renata Lizzi