No Planet B: The climate crisis in historical perspective

Climate change is the fundamental challenge of the world today, with implications for biodiversity, weather systems, food production, the world economy, global mobility, and national and international security. But how did we get to this point? This unit helps you to understand the contemporary climate crisis by placing it in historical perspective. Over the course of three modules, you will gain a deeper understanding of how and when we came to understand anthropogenic climate change as a global emergency, the science that underpins our understanding of climate change, the unequal effects of climate change on communities and environments around the world, and the varied responses – past, present, and future – of people, societies, businesses, and governments to climate change.

This unit does not require any previous study of either history or climate change. If you are pursuing a major or minor in History, the unit offers an introduction to the exciting subfields of environmental and climate history. If you are taking it as an elective, it is designed to complement other disciplinary approaches to climate change by offering a rich historical perspective on the greatest challenge facing the world today.