The Social Life of Climate Change

Congress and the United Nations, governments around the world are still refusing to substantively respond to the climate emergency. As a result, the events of climate catastrophe are no longer anticipated future phenomena. Catastrophic hurricanes, wildfires, and flood events and other human disasters are now frequently visited upon several peoples and places around the world, and particularly on marginalized Black, Brown and Indigenous communities. How is climate change affecting social worlds and imaginaries for the future around the world? And what kinds of work are citizens, scientists, activists and policy makers doing to address its most pernicious effects? The course begins by investigating the scientific consensus around climate change, paying particular attention to the practices through which scientific facts are established. Next, it explores how climate change is addressed by governments at different scales. How might we better understand the absence of significant action to address climate change around the world, despite scientific facts? How are citizens, particularly those that are structurally marginalized, responding to the different climate crises that are unmaking their lives, livelihoods and polities? Finally, the course ends by critically engaging with social movements, projects and programs that are working to mitigate carbon emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change.

This course fulfills Social Science Approaches to Environmental Inquiry requirement.