Despite the many warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut dramatically within this decade to stay within the 1.5C target set by the Paris Agreement, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. The global community is still far off track from meeting the Paris climate goal and many of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and corresponding list of 169 targets. Planetary boundaries are being overreached threatening human and economic well-being. Hundreds of millions of the people who are being impacted most severely by climate change live in world regions that have contributed little to total cumulative greenhouse gas emissions. Around the world communities are experiencing rising sea levels, heavier rains, more severe floods, and intense heat events. At the same time, we are seeing global trends towards greater polarisation and nationalism. In this course we will consider how these challenging circumstances can be a trigger for technological, political and social innovation for sustainability. The interdisciplinary group of students who will be selected to participate in this course will examine current developments in climate and sustainability politics and will also be asked to work on solutions that can make a difference locally, nationally, internationally, or globally.
