Unit of Study POLT1002 World Politics and Global Environmental Challenges (2025)

Unit description

This unit examines relationships between international political dynamics and global environmental challenges as a way to understand and engage with current environmental issues. Students will explore how states and non-state actors, such as the United Nations, multinational corporations and non-governmental organisations, interact at an international level. Global issues such as climate change and biodiversity extinction will be explored, as well as the intertwined role of ideologies such as neoliberalism, nationalism, communism, democracy and other systems of governance. The unit provides students with a knowledge of the political dimensions of key environmental issues and the institutional and non-institutional responses that are taking place. Unit content will help students identify what role they can play when dealing with global environmental challenges.  

Unit content

Part 1:

1. Case studies: climate change and biodiversity extinction
2. A timeline of international (in)action
3. International cooperation, power competition and the tragedy of the commons

Part 2:

1. Green ideology and the political spectrum
2. Are democracies best suited to resolve environmental problems?
3. The globalised economy and the environment

Part 3:

1. Environmental justice
2. Global issues, local actions