Political Ecology ((3 Credits))

Catalog description

Climate and the environment are no longer just natural or biological issues, they are also now political and social issues. We have passed the point in the world’s natural system where the cessation of human activity would return the world to a previous natural balanced ecology. We are now firmly in the Anthropocene. A period of geological time that is marked by humanity as the main influence on climate and ecology. Terrestrially there are no practically untouched places left in the world. Even Mount Everest is now facing critical issues around trash, waste, and even a serious sewage problem. Any solution to our climate troubles will not just be technical or come through personal action. The climate is now more than ever a political problem and an economic problem. The readings in this study are intended to provide a history and background to the growing crisis and enable students to view the future with a clearer handle on its causes in the past and present.