Subject Area: Development Studies

Climate change is one of the major challenges in the twenty-first century. How governments, communities, and individuals respond to the impacts of climate changes and variability at multiple levels is likely to determine the prospects for development, equity and sustainability. Climate impacts and adaptation actions are inevitably local, and local adaptation practices to climate change can not be assumed to occur automatically or in a fair way. As our climate changing, it's the world's poor and disadvantaged people who are being hit hardest.

This course examines how climate change affects and is affected by development and environmental discourses, policy and practices at the local community level. It focuses on exploring how adaptation responses to climate change impacts can be made more equitable in relation to the livelihoods of poor and disadvantaged community groups. With the growing need to understand how climate change and society intersect, it is critical that we address crucial questions about how community adaptation practices reflecting the skills, knowledge and experience can inform on present problems and possible solutions. The course has two parts - the first part will involve discussing concepts and principles of climate adaptation such as adaptive capacity, equity, risk, vulnerability and resilience. The second part of the course focuses on issues and case study examples from Australia and several developing countries to show current trends and solutions on how governments and communities dealing with the consequences of climate change. Through conceptual and case study discussions, students will have opportunity to identify, analyse and understand the community, political and social roadblocks to cope with climate change impacts. Students will come away from this course better informed about the current state of climate change impacts and more equitable ways to respond to these impacts.