Module: Climate Change Policy & Governance

Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title	Climate Change Policy & Governance
Module Code	LG5034 (ITS) / POL1060 (Banner)
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	Law & Government
Module Co-ordinator	Louise Fitzgerald
Module Teachers	Diarmuid Torney
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	10
Pre-requisite	Not Available
Co-requisite	Not Available
Compatibles	Not Available
Incompatibles	Not Available

None

Description

This module offers students an advanced introduction to policy and governance of climate change mitigation and adaptation. It sets the scene by introducing competing theoretical perspectives on sustainability transitions, drawing on comparative politics, techno-economic, and sociotechnical transitions perspectives. The module then introduces students to the diversity of governance levels, actors, and instruments. These theoretical and empirical perspectives are then brought to bear on four key sectoral areas: electricity generation; heat and transport; agriculture and land use; and adaptation and resilience. Overall, the module offers students a broad survey of the evolving academic field of climate change policy and governance, and provides a basis for pursuing further research in these areas.

Learning Outcomes

1. Critically interrogate competing theoretical perspectives on governance of climate change mitigation and adaptation
2. Identify key actors and their roles at different governance scales in responding to climate change
3. Analyse and appraise different policy instrument choices with respect to climate governance
4. Understand the challenges posed by climate change in key sectors and possible response to these challenges
5. Apply the theoretical and empirical insights learned to sectoral climate policy problems, and use this knowledge to undertake a policy analysis of a relevant policy

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full-time hours per semester
Lecture	22	No Description
Assignment Completion	48	No Description
Independent Study	180	No Description
Total Workload: 250

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Topic 1
Introduction and overview

Topic 2
Comparative politics approaches to climate governance

Topic 3
Sociotechnical and techno-economic perspectives

Topic 4
National government in a multilevel context

Topic 5
Business, civil society and governance beyond the state

Topic 6
Policy instrument choice: emissions trading versus carbon tax

Topic 7
Electricity generation

Topic 8
Heat and transport

Topic 9
Agriculture and land use

Topic 10
Adaptation and resilience

Topic 11
Looking forward: Climate governance in turbulent times

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Course Work Breakdown
Research Paper	3,000 word research paper	60%	n/a
Report(s)	2,000 word sectoral policy analysis exercise	40%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories: Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module. Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module. Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

Paul F. Steinberg and Stacy D. VanDeveer (eds.): 2012, Comparative Environmental Politics: Theory, Practice, and Prospects, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA,
Kathryn Harrison and Lisa McIntosh Sundstrom (eds.): 2010, Global Commons, Domestic Decisions: The Comparative Politics of Climate Change, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA,
David Held, Angus Hervey and Marika Theros (eds.): 2011, The Governance of Climate Change: Science, Economics, Politics & Ethics, Polity Press, Cambridge,
Harriet A. Bulkeley and Peter Newell: 2015, Governing Climate Change, 2nd edition, Routledge, Abingdon,
Guri Bang, Arild Underdal and Steinar Andresen (eds.): 2015, The Domestic Politics of Global Climate Change: Key Actors in International Climate Cooperation, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham,
Rüdiger K. W. Wurzel, James Connelly and Duncan Liefferink (eds.): 2017, The European Union in International Climate Change Politics: Still Taking a Lead?, Routledge, Abingdon,
Karin Bäckstrand and Eva Lövbrand (eds.): 2015, Research Handbook on Climate Governance, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham,
Max T. Boykoff (ed.): 2010, The Politics of Climate Change: A Survey, Routledge, Abingdon,
Anthony Giddens: 2011, The Politics of Climate Change, 2nd edition, Polity Press, Cambridge,

Other Resources

None