ENV301H1

Critically Thinking about Climate Solutions

This course builds on what you have learned about the nature of the climate crisis ( ENV101H1), science of global change ( ENV200H1) and the sustainability transition ( ENV222H1). It will provide students with a comprehensive framework for evaluating and comparing climate solutions. The course will begin with an assessment of the scale and urgency of the climate crisis as a basis for assessing solutions. Students will learn how to evaluate climate solutions from the point of view of feasibility, scale, timeframe, risk, equity, governance, likely co-benefits, and climate justice. Using a systems thinking approach, students will use a mix of qualitative and quantitative reasoning to assess current and proposed climate solutions. The course will also address current controversies and ethical dilemmas in addressing climate change, including mitigation versus adaptation, incrementalism versus system change, decoupling versus degrowth, greenwashing, and the ethics of geoengineering.