Current debates in social science climate research

Climate change is a global challenge that has moved from discoveries in geological sciences to encompass questions of policy, ethics, economics, psychology, and numerous other fields of study. The scholarly literature on climate change mitigation has grown rapidly in recent decades, as evidenced by the length of the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group 3 on mitigation.

Most scholars in the field agree on the importance of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and increasing uptake in sinks, if politically agreed targets are to be met. At the same time, the multifaceted character of the climate challenge and the wide variety of scholarly perspectives ensures lively debates on what solutions are effective, efficient, and ethically sound.

The purpose of the course is to familiarize the student with a selection of current debates in social science climate research and enable the student to take part in these debates orally and in writing.

The main topics are:

• Framing of climate change: What type of problem is it?
• Policy instruments at different levels of government, with carbon pricing as an example
• Democracy, authoritarianism, and citizen engagement
• The role of knowledge in the making of climate policy, with emphasis on economy-energy-climate models
• Litigation

Additional topics that may be discussed include the politics of international climate regimes and negotiations, Climate change adaptation and the role of timescales, emissions accounting and responsibility, and climate change in the context of sustainable development.

The course will be organized around the following debates:

1. How should climate change be framed - as a tragedy of the commons, as a struggle between different material interests, or as a systemic challenge? What are the implications of the choice of framing, and which frames are being used by which actors?
2. What are the most prominent types of climate change mitigation at different levels of government? What is a suitable role of price mechanisms in climate policy, relative to other instruments such as standards and subsidies? How may the positive and negative effects of carbon pricing be weighed against each other?
3. Does democracy help or hinder climate policy? What are the most effective forms of citizen involvement in climate politics and policy, besides voting in elections? What are the roles of citizen juries and mini-publics in contemporary climate policy-making? Do alternative forms of engagement favour new actors or cement existing power relationships?
4. What types of knowledge are the most prominent in climate policy-making ? Why? What is the role of integrated assessment models (IAMs) in the making of climate policy? What types of social science research fit IAMs and what types are ignored? What are the effects of such biases?  
5. What is the role of litigation in climate policy? What theories of justice underlie climate-related litigation? What are the implications for democratic legitimacy of decisions? Does litigation favour some groups or concerns over others?

Knowledge

The student can

• Describe and explain the main arguments in key debates in social science climate research,
• Describe the developments of these debates over time,
• Account for the current state of debates over framing, carbon pricing, democracy, models, and litigation in the context of climate policy,
• Outline the main types of climate policy currently in use or at the proposal or planning stages.

Skills

The student can

• Present arguments for and against various points of view in major debates in the social sciences related to climate change,
• Produce their own argument in key debates, support it with evidence, and consider alternative views, in writing and orally,
• Locate additional sources of arguments and evidence in these debates.

General competence

The student can

• Present and defend an argument in writing,
• Present and defend an argument orally,
• Keep up to date in scholarly climate debates related to topics such as policy, effectiveness, and fairness.