Antonio Valentim

This course is available on the MSc in European and International Politics and Policy, MSc in European and International Politics and Policy (LSE and Bocconi) and MSc in European and International Politics and Policy (LSE and Sciences Po). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

To apply for a place, ALL students should submit a statement via LSE for You outlining your specific reasons for applying, how it will benefit your academic/career goals, and how you meet any necessary pre-requisites (maximum 200 words).

The first round of offers will be made from 12-noon on the Friday before Autumn Term week 1. The final deadline for applications is 12-noon on the Friday of Autumn Term week 2.

For queries contact: ei@lse.ac.uk

This course has a limited number of places (it is controlled access) and demand is typically very high. Priority is given to students from the European Institute, so students from outside this department may not get a place.

Mutually exclusive courses:

This course cannot be taken with IR467 at any time on the same degree programme.

Climate change has become a defining challenge for societies worldwide. This course introduces students to the politics of climate change and environmental policy, focusing on political behaviour, party competition, policymaking, and institutional dynamics. It surveys the main theoretical and empirical debates within political science, while also drawing selectively on insights from economics and related disciplines. The course places particular emphasis on the role of political actors - national governments, parties, or civil society - in shaping climate policy outcomes, and on the design and contestation of specific policy. While the main focus is on the European context, the course also includes comparative and international perspectives to situate European climate politics within a broader context. 

10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the Autumn Term.
1 hour of lectures in the Spring Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term.

A review session will be held at the start of the Spring Term to prepare for the e-exam.

Learning Log / reflective learning report weekly.

Mock exam.

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2023). Climate change 2023: Synthesis report—Summary for policymakers. IPCC; WMO; UNEP. 

• Carter, N. (2018). The politics of the environment: Ideas, activism, policy. Cambridge University Press. 

• Gazmararian, A. F., & Tingley, D. (in press). The political economy of the clean energy transition. Annual Review of Political Science. 

• Harrison, K., & Sundstrom, L. M. (2007). The comparative politics of climate change. Global Environmental Politics, 7(4), 1–18. 

• Dolsak, N., & Prakash, A. (2022). Three faces of climate justice. Annual Review of Political Science, 25, 283–301. 

• Ostrom, E. (2015). Governing the commons: The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge University Press. 

Exam (100%), duration: 120 Minutes in the Spring exam period.

The summative assessment will take the form of an e-exam in the Spring Term. E-exams are assessments run under invigilated exam conditions on campus. Students will complete the assessment using software downloaded to their personal laptops.