Objectives

Population growth, technological innovation, and human industrial activity have brought about significant changes in our planet's natural environment. Some of these, such as urban air and water pollution, are highly visible in their effects, others, such as global warming or ozone depletion is less so. In recent years, understanding of the nature and extent of these changes has increased in leaps and bounds, giving rise to new and exciting work on the global environment. This course seeks to tap into different perspectives and ideas from areas as diverse as international relations theory, economics, the natural sciences and sustainable development theory, focusing on the political factors which underlie the way we view the global environment: The aim of this course IS to foster an understanding of the characteristics of the global environment, the key problems we face, and the different courses on action available to us in order to achieve a more sustainable international society. In particular it focuses on some of the key debates driving international policy making in this area, notably the relationship between developed and less developed countries, and how to translate environmental ideals into policy.