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The Climate Crisis in Humanitarian Affairs - HEA00182M

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  • Department: Health Sciences
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Jo Rose
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
    • See module specification for other years: 2024-25

Module summary

This module looks at addressing the rapidly changing landscape and nature of emergency preparedness and response amplified by the climate crisis. The module addresses how climate change exacerbates other disasters and crises as the units examine a range of case studies from disasters, conflicts and industrial disasters.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Spring Term 2023-24
B Spring Term 2023-24

Module aims

The environmental emergencies caused by natural and or manmade hazards are an increasing threat to environmental damage, generating impacts on human health, biodiversity, ecosystems, and people’s livelihoods reflected in displacement, loss of livelihoods and death. In the absence of a robust action on global emissions the global temperature may increase by 1.5C or more by 2050.

This module looks at addressing the rapidly changing landscape and nature of emergency preparedness and response amplified by the climate crisis. The module addresses how climate change exacerbates other disasters and crises as the units examine a range of case studies from disasters, conflicts and industrial disasters. One of the overriding objectives of the module is to critically examine the role that environmental sustainability and resilience play in the response to climate change and humanitarian crises. The gaps in the current response system and lack of collaboration and cooperation between the climate and humanitarian communities to achieve an equitable and sustainable future for all are examined in relation to the affected people. Finally, the module will examine environmentally less damaging and climate-proof humanitarian responses.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students will be able to:

  1. Critically examine the changing landscape of disasters and conflicts in relation to the climate crisis.
  2. Understand the importance of the climate change within social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental perspectives.
  3. Examine the local, national, regional, and international frameworks on sustainability and climate change.
  4. Develop enhanced skills in communicating and working with those affected by the climate crisis.
  5. Understand how to develop climate proof humanitarian responses.

Module content

Unit 01: The Changing Patterns of Disasters amidst the Climate Crisis

In this Unit, the learners will examine some of the cross-cutting issues regarding human impacts of climate change and environmental degradation in humanitarian affairs. The first unit introduces the environmental, historical, political, social, economic, and geographical aspects of the climate crisis in humanitarian affairs.

Unit 02: Defining and Redefining Sustainability in Relation to the Climate Crisis

This unit examines the numerous trade-offs in the sustainable agenda that disregard the affected communities and introduces key concepts like planetary health.

Unit 03: The New Climate Migration Crisis

Climate change is being felt on a global level, particularly in the Global South. The frequent droughts and sudden storm patterns known as El Niño are becoming more frequent as the planet warms, and although the science is understood with precision, the human consequences of those changes are still unknown. Climate change is threatening to displace millions of people, which will create new migrant flows across borders.

Unit 04: Learning from the Affected Communities

The Unit examines non-western epistemologies relevant to planetary health, farming initiatives, technology and traditional knowledge system that are being used by the affected communities to combat the climate crisis.

Unit 05: Analysing the policy around the Climate Crisis and Humanitarianism

Taking the United Nations Declaration for Human Rights as the starting point, this Unit will invite the learners to critically analyse different policy frameworks that are aiming to address the climate crisis. Understanding the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of these policy frameworks are important within the Humanitarian Sector as well as Globally.

Unit 06: Operational aspects of equality, diversity, and inclusion

Different policies are operationalised in different contexts. The learners are encouraged to critically examine the operational aspects of different policy frameworks to understand good practices.

Unit 07: Adapting Humanitarian Operations to the Climate Crisis

Human beings have a complex connection to their physical, mental, and emotional worlds as well as their external functions are defined in social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental contexts. This Unit encourages the learners to understand the frameworks of intersectionality as well as the interconnectedness of individual human beings to each other and nature. This unit examines climate-proof humanitarian responses with case studies.

Unit 08: The Humanitarian System as the biggest polluters – Transitioning to delivering green humanitarian assistance.

It is difficult to get an accurate sector-wide view of the heavy carbon footprint on the aid sector. There is an increasing need for the humanitarian sector and international community to turn the lens inward and transition to delivering green humanitarian assistance. This unit looks at the waste left from the aid sector, packages and heavy carbon footprint. The unit ties in with other modules in the programme on localisation and examines the relevance of the humanitarian aid sector. The unit allows for an exploration into local initiatives.

Unit 09: Global to local – social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental aspects

This Unit examines the global and local contexts of the climate crisis and planetary the learners will be encouraged to bring their own ideas, thoughts, and experiences to discussion within the Unit. Human beings have a complex connection to their physical, mental, and emotional worlds as well as their external functions are defined in social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental contexts. This Unit encourages the learners to understand the frameworks of interconnectedness of individual human beings to each other and nature.

Unit 10: The Impacts of industrial hazards in high-risk countries

This final Unit will examine the Beirut explosion and the war in Ukraine that have highlighted the need for assessing and identifying the potential impacts of industrial hazards. Industrial hazards in high-risk countries carry severe consequences on human health and the environment, including in other affected countries. This unit invites the students to think about prevention, anticipation, preparedness and the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach in an emerging subject. The unit will also examine disaster waste management strategies.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay : Essay		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay : Essay		 N/A 100

Module feedback

Written feedback for the summative assessment is provided on the standard proforma, within the timescale specified in the programme handbook.

Indicative reading

Rose, J, Adler, C. and Jayawickrama, J (2023, accepted manuscript) Finding Hope in Tribulation: Understanding Disaster Risk Reduction and Responses to Disasters in Complex Political Emergencies. In Galliard, J.C., Rashid, M. and Fernandez, G. (ed.) Reducing Risks: A Reference on Preventing and Mitigating Disasters and Dangers, Volume 3.

Arora, N. K. and Mishra, I. (2019). United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and environmental sustainability: race against time. Environmental Sustainability, 2 (4), pp.339–342.

Basile, E. and Cecchi, C. (2019). The uncertain sustainability of BRICS strategies for sustainable development. Rivista di Studi Politici Internazionali, 86 (2 (342)), pp.261–280.

Keeble, B. R. (1988). The Brundtland report: ‘Our common future’. Medicine and war, 4 (1), pp.17–25.

Mason, H. C. &. Too late to save environment, says Green Party co-founder. p.online.

McGregor, D. (2004b). Traditional ecological knowledge and sustainable development: Towards coexistence. In the way of development: Indigenous peoples, life projects and globalization, pp.72–91.

Schepelmann, P., Goossens, Y. and Makipaa, A. (2009). Towards sustainable development: Alternatives to GDP for measuring progress. Wuppertal Spezial. [Online]. Available at: https://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/59282 [Accessed 26 February 2023].

Schmitz, O. J. (2019). Sustaining Humans and Nature as One: A Better Planet, pp.11–19. [Online]. Available at: doi:10.2307/j.ctvqc6gcq.5.

Seltenrich, N. (2018). Down to Earth: The Emerging Field of Planetary Health. Environmental health perspectives, 126 (7), p.072001.

Shiva, V. (2016). Vandana Shiva response to The New Nature. [Online]. Available at: https://www.bostonreview.net/forum_response/vandana-shiva-response-nature-anthropocene/ [Accessed 9 March 2023].

(2016). Why it’s important that we value nature. [Online]. Available at: http://www.wwf.org.uk/what-we-do/valuing-nature [Accessed 1 February 2023].

Inner development goals. [Online]. Available at: https://www.innerdevelopmentgoals.org/ [Accessed 12 March 2023].

UKRI Planetary Health workshop report.pdf. [Online]. Available at: https: //www.ukri.org/publications/ukri-planetary-health-workshop-report/ [Accessed 10 March 2023]


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.