Handbook

From bushfires to biodiversity loss, Australian societies are facing a growing number of environmental challenges. The latest scientific evidence shows that many of these challenges are being accelerated by planetary warming, which has led some commentators to describe Australia as a nation on the frontline of the unfolding climate emergency. Thanks to recent advances in biological, ecological and meteorological science, we now have a much better understanding of the physical processes associated with Australia’s environmental challenges. What is less well understood, however, are the social and cultural dimensions of these challenges and the role these dimensions play in shaping discussions about how we respond.

Informed by key debates in human geography, this course will provide students with a framework that will enable them to identify and analyse the human dimensions of environmental change across a variety of registers, from social identities and cultural imaginaries to political ideologies and economic agendas. Students will gain a critical appreciation of geography’s uniquely holistic approach to environmental processes and its significance in bringing together diverse forms of environmental knowledge. Students will also have the opportunity to apply geographical ideas and frameworks to a range of Australian environmental challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity decline, drought, and bushfires.