99634 - DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

Il corso intende fornire allo studente una conoscenza approfondita del complesso fenomeno del cambiamento climatico, nonché far comprendere le principali interdipendenze intercorrenti fra gli aspetti economici e politici e le dimensioni locali, sovranazionali e globali. Al termine del corso, lo studente sarà in grado di: a) identificarne le principali conseguenze su alcuni ambiti dell’economia, della società e sulla politica internazionale; b) descrivere origini ed evoluzione di accordi e programmi internazionali volti ad affrontare il problema del cambiamento climatico; c) comprendere l’impatto differenziato che questo fenomeno ha sulle diverse regioni/aree del mondo, attraverso l’approfondimento di alcuni casi di studio; d) analizzare criticamente gli effetti del cambiamento climatico sullo sviluppo politico ed economico, con particolare attenzione all’impatto sulla povertà.

Contenuti

Climate change is no longer an abstract future threat. Early heat in India and Pakistan in March 2022 and record-breaking heatwaves in Europe in June and July 2022 have been shown to be attributable to anthropogenic climate change. The urgency of upscaling both climate change mitigation and adaptation has never been more evident. Such pressing transformation is shaped not only by climate policy but also capacities of the individuals and communities rooted in underlying patterns of development. This course thus aims to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the complex phenomenon of climate change, as well as an understanding of the main interdependencies between the population, economic and political aspects and the local, supranational and global dimensions.

The course will cover the following themes:

• Introduction to development and climate change
• Observed and projected impacts of climate change
• Climate change diplomacy: History and development of international climate change agreements
• Climate change mitigation
• Vulnerability to climate change and adaptation
• Climate action in the context of the Sustainable Development Agenda
• Climate justice and equity: intergenerational and gender perspectives

Testi/Bibliografia

Hunter, L. M., Gray, C., & Véron, J. (Eds.). (2022). International Handbook of Population and Environment. Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76433-3_1

Leichenko, R., & O’Brien, K. (2019). Climate and Society: Transforming the Future (1st edition.). Cambridge UK: Polity.

Muttarak, R. (2021). Demographic perspectives in research on global environmental change. Population Studies, 75(sup1), 77–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.2021.1988684

Metodi didattici

Face-to-face/on line lessons, seminars and in-class presentations and discussions.

Lecture: 8 two-hour lectures with slides (total 16 hours)

Seminar: 6 two-hour seminars (total 12 hours) every Wednesday at 11:00-13:00 starting from 12 October 2022; ending on 16 November 2022

The course will use the platform virtuale.unibo.it, students are advised to register on the platform

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Attending students

For students attending class regularly, the final evaluation will be composed by two parts:

1. Group or individual project/assignment. Instructions on the project will be distributed in class. (45% of the final grade)
2. One final term paper 4,000 words (55% of the final grade)

Non-attending students

For those who do not attend the classes, the final evaluation will be composed by two parts:

1. Oral exam will be based on the recommended readings for the seminar (available in the virtual platform) (45% of the final grade)
2. One final term paper 4,000 words (55% of the final grade)

Additional information on the term paper

Term paper

The term paper should analyse a particular aspect of development and climate change based on the topic chosen. Additional information about the term paper will be given in class. It is expected that the term paper critically discusses relevant scientific literature in order to reflect independent thinking on the topic and in-depth understanding of the topic in writing. Appropriate academic references relevant to the exploration of the aforementioned topics should be consulted and sound academic arguments should be formulated with a clear structure using standardized guidelines for academic writing.

Late Assignment

The mark will be reduced by 10% for every 24 hours of delay in submission of the final term paper. In the interest of fairness to all students, exceptions will only be granted in the case of incapacitating illness or significant personal or family emergencies. If such a situation occurs, student should reach out to me BEFORE the corresponding deadline to discuss alternative arrangements.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Slides, videos, virtuale.unibo.it

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Raya Muttarak