New course explores the role of democracy in the climate crisis

Climate change has been high on the political agenda for years, yet greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. This raises the question: Do democratic systems have the capacity to deal with a threat like the climate crisis?

The question is the starting point for a new massive open online course (MOOC) on climate and democracy.

‘Despite the clear consequences of climate change, political action has so far proved insufficient to address the crisis. Democratic countries are no exception in this respect,’ says Lars Tønder, Professor with special responsibilities and Head of Studies at the Department of Political Science.

Together with Sustainability Science Centre and Green Foundation, he has developed the course ‘Making Democracy Fit for Climate’. It consists of six modules with mini-lectures, interviews, and field reports from Denmark and especially France.

Strong team behind the course

During the course, participants will meet researchers and experts from the University of Copenhagen who work with political and democratic theory, climate and environmental science, authoritarianism, international politics, and non-state actors.

‘In addition, students will be presented with interviews with real-world actors who have engaged in the climate debate in different ways,’ explains Lars Tønder and continues:

‘We hope that many will make use of the course to equip themselves with the knowledge needed to participate in the ongoing discussions about climate change and the role of democracies in addressing the many challenges.’

The open online course features contributions from a variety of department staff, including Christian Rostbøll, Wiebke Junk, and Michele Betsill. In addition, Katherine Richardson and other leading climate researchers at UCPH will contribute.

You can read more about and register for the course here.