Climate Policy and Action: Policy Analysis and Advocacy

Building from the basics of climate science and policy responses reviewed in Climate Policy and Action: Science and Policy Basics, this program explores different ways to analyze public policies and advocate for particular climate actions. We will review climate change mitigation policies, technologies, governance, and actions that Washington state, Evergreen, and cities in North America have adopted, what impact these have had, and how we can create the most effective solutions.

Faculty will help students analyze different approaches to climate solutions, weigh the costs and benefits of these different approaches, and develop skills in policy analysis, carbon accounting, and advocacy. We will take a critical approach to policy analysis and research, reviewing different actors influences on the policy process.

Centrally, we will unpack the various dimensions of social life that climate policies can affect, and vice versa. We will analyze social and economic policies' impact on the climate. Critical approaches are essential to understand how intersecting systems of power influence policy approaches.

We will work together to evaluate existing and proposed public policies for climate impact using different frameworks and ideological bases. Students will design an advocacy campaign and think through the process of implementation of local, state, and national climate policies. We will support each other in a learning community that is geared towards practical climate action.