Climate Action – Bachelor of Impact and Innovation

An introduction to the role of planning in building sustainable and hazard- and climate-resilient communities that have flourishing futures in the face of disruptive change.

Grounded in kaupapa Māori principles and values this course interrogates relationality and place-based systems from an indigenous perspective. Drawing on a kaupapa Māori values framework, students explore how colonial worldviews that elevate extraction, ownership and short-term profit over reciprocity and responsibility have displaced Māori and indigenous knowledge place based systems that sustained planetary balance and health. The course advocates restoring relationality and how to be in relationship with place beginning locally and extending globally through comparative indigenous perspectives.

This course examines the interconnections between society and the environment from a social sciences perspective, emphasising the roles of science and politics in the creation of environmental knowledge and practice. We examine the causes and consequences of environmental problems, including climate change. We also consider possibilities for transformative change through activism, Te Ao Māori and other Indigenous perspectives, markets, government, and community-led initiatives.

A survey of environmental and climate change issues and the application of economic analysis to these issues and policies to achieve sustainable outcomes.

A critical study of politics and political power in Aotearoa New Zealand, with an emphasis on political institutions, the formal and informal exercise of power by political actors, and the interplay between politics and economics in policy development.

This course will delve into an in-depth analysis of the generation and occurrence of natural hazards, their impacts, and effective risk management strategies. This course also includes the consideration of how climate change is modifying natural events. Students will explore and analyse natural hazards and climate change that impact our environment and future global risk reduction and sustainability initiatives with a focus on creating solutions that mitigate the impact of hazards on society.

An introduction to the scientific history and evidence for climate change. Evidence of anthropogenic influence on the climate will be explored by examining data gathered across all fields of science and across a range of environments including terrestrial, marine, and atmospheric. Students will develop strategies to understand, interpret and communicate scientific information in the context of climate change.

This course provides an applied understanding of climate action across different scales from individual action to organisational and community responses. Case studies from Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific support the examination of practical approaches to reducing emissions, strengthening resilience, and addressing climate justice. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based decision-making that integrates an analysis of power dynamics, social equity and sustainability principles into climate action planning.