Studying at York
Climate Science and Policy - ENV00103M
- Department: Environment and Geography
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: M
- Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
- See module specification for other years: 2024-25
Module summary
This module provides students with a thorough understanding of the physical principles behind climate change and its impacts and provides an in-depth analysis of the solutions to this existential problem from the perspectives of different stakeholders and geographical scales (from local to global).
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2023-24 |
Module aims
Gain knowledge and understanding of the physical causes and consequences of climate change
Understand and discuss current policy responses from a variety of stakeholder viewpoints
Understand climate scenarios and potential emissions development pathways and their consequences
Assess the advantages and disadvantages of different mitigation and adaptation options to tackle climate change in the near, medium and longer term
Produce an essay from a particular country's perspective on the national response to the climate crises.
Module learning outcomes
On completion of the module a student will be able to:
Demonstrate knowledge of the Earth's climate system and human impacts;
Identify the global trends in environmental pressures, e.g., Climate Change, biodiversity collapse, etc, in relation to global targets and bodies such as the IPCC and the Sustainable Development Goals for example
Demonstrate an understanding of the relevant stakeholders and the design of policy addressing global sustainability and environmental challenges
Effectively communicate an understanding of how sustainability, climate science, and policy instruments can be interlinked to engineer sustainability transitions
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Feedback on summative assessment will be provided individually to students according to the standard turn around time (4 weeks). The seminars will be highly discursive in nature so students will get continuous real-time feedback as they explore the topic.
Indicative reading
IPCC AR6 Reports
Whitesell, W. C. (2011). Climate policy foundations: Science and economics with lessons from monetary regulation. Cambridge University Press.
Mann, M. E. (2021) The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet. New York: Public Affairs