Description
Module Description
Content:
Towns and cities around the world are at the frontline of climate change impacts, and need to be at the centre of climate change responses. In this module, you will study the effects of climate change on urban systems and residents, and understand the strategies that are being developed by citizens, non-government organisations, and governments to respond to these. The module takes a multi-disciplinary and policy-oriented approach that is rooted in a range of real-world case studies.
This module aims to provide you with an understanding of the ways in which climate change is affecting and will affect urban areas in low- and middle-income countries. More broadly, it will contribute to your abilities to assess critically the ways in which urban and environmental issues are shaped through interactions of the physical environment, policy frameworks, governance, and community action.
Teaching Delivery:
This module is taught in 10 weekly lectures and in-class seminars.
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Indicative topics:
"Indicative lecture topics 鈥 based on module content in 2023/24, subject to possible changes."
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- Introducing cities and climate change
- The contribution of cities to climate change
- The distribution of climate risk: urban dimensions
- The distribution of climate risk: social dimensions
- Resilience and adaptation I
- Resilience and adaptation II
- Health and climate change in cities
- Urban governance for resilience
- Mitigation, adaptation and sustainable urban development
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Module Aims:
This module aims to provide participants with an understanding of how climate change is affecting and will affect urban areas in low- and middle-income countries. More broadly, it will contribute to their abilities to assess critically how urban and environmental issues are shaped through interactions of the physical environment, policy frameworks, governance, and community action.
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify the implications of climate change for urban areas in low- and middle-income countries;
- Explain the distribution of climate-related vulnerability at different scales and between different social groups;
- Analyse the role of international frameworks 鈥 including the UNFCCC and the IPCC 鈥 in addressing climate issues in urban areas;
- Evaluate the relative roles of local organizations and urban authorities in facilitating effective climate change adaptation;
- Discuss the role of urban areas in low- and middle-income countries in mitigation activities;
- Assess the potential for 鈥渓ocal development + adaptation鈥 in cities in low- and middle-income countries.
Recommended Readings:
- Dodman, D., B. Hayward, M. Pelling, V. Castan Broto, W. Chow, E. Chu, R. Dawson, L. Khirfan, T. McPhearson, A. Prakash, Y. Zheng, and G. Ziervogel (2022): Cities, Settlements and Key Infrastructure. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. P枚rtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegr铆a, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. L枚schke, V. M枚ller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 907鈥1040, doi:10.1017/9781009325844.008.
[https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_Chapter06.pdf ]
- Satterthwaite, D., Archer, D., Colenbrander, S., Dodman, D., Hardoy, J., Mitlin, D. and Patel, S., 2020. Building resilience to climate change in informal settlements. One Earth, 2(2), pp.143-156.
- UN-Habitat (2011). Cities and Climate Change: Global Report on Human Settlements 2011. UN Habitat / Earthscan. Chapter 1: 鈥淯rbanization and the Challenge of Climate Change鈥 w]
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Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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