This class introduces students to the politics of global environmental challenges in comparative perspective. The first two weeks of the class are designed as an introduction to the social and political causes of enviromental problems, such as air pollution, deforestation, and climate change. The rest of the course addresses the role of different levels of government to tackle these issues, including international negotiations, national governments, and subnational actors.

A seminar designed as a General Education class, this course introduces students to both the basics of climate change and the questions and methods of political science as a discipline. The course was funded by UCLA through the Collegium of Teaching University Fellowship. The guiding theme of the course is: what explains the lack of progress on carbon emissions reductions, despite the scientific consensus and technology improvements to address this challenge? We center on the role of politics. The first three weeks of the class address the fundamentals of climate change as a global issue; the rest of the sessions study the role of institutions, elections, and interests groups in different sectors: electricity, oil and gas, urbanization, and transportation. You can find the summary of my teaching evaluations here and some reviews from students here.