Capitalism, climate and crises: Historical perspectives on the environment and economic development 7.5 credits

About the course

The course deals with long-term relationships between economic transformation, climate change and other environmental issues, with the aim of providing an understanding of the historical economic-political context of the climate crisis since the 18th century. The course therefore focuses on the interplay between technological change, energy transformations, climate, and environmental policy, as well as the emergence of environmental and sustainability concepts after 1945. The course addresses theoretical formations in environmental economics, ecological economics, and political economy, and how elements from these theoretical frameworks have been used in economic-historical research. The course ends with the student analyzing and evaluating today's climate policy based on historical perspectives.