3.0

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Average Course Rating

This is a field course that takes a firsthand look at the reality of climate change adaptation at various scales as it is experienced in in a developing country such as Nepal. Specifically it considers Nepal’s vulnerability and resilience to climate change at the national, district and community levels, and will review adaptation instruments and actions at all levels and the political context in which they are executed. Specific topics to be covered include climate change by sector, vulnerability at various scales, institutional and community-based plans for mitigation and adaptation, institutional and legal mechanisms that address climate change, extension efforts, climate change integration into development, and current effort by developing countries such as Nepal in carbon-financing and other topics. The course will also consider how funding to support climate change adaptation intersects and overlaps with development aid and planning. The course will start and end in Kathmandu, the capital city, where students will meet with policy makers, government officials and experts. We will also travel to communities in the three biophysical regions of Nepal, the highlands, the middle hills and the lowlands (Terai). In all locales students will interact with stakeholders all various kinds and be exposed to the great cultural, economic, political, and biophysical diversity of Nepal. Course prerequisite: 420.665.81, Climate Change on the Front Lines: The Study of Adaptation in Developing Countries, or permission of the instructor.