This lecture series contains a sample presentations from the 2016 iteration of the second-year undergraduate subject Global Environmental Politics of the 21^st Century (POL2GEP) at La Trobe University, coordinated by Dr Benjamin Habib.

This subject introduces students to the major areas of contestation in global environmental politics of the systemic transition labeled as the Anthropocene. It maps the emerging frameworks for addressing environmental problems from both global governance and grassroots levels, and examines the key claims of environmental movements and their critics.

In the twenty-first century, environmental politics encompasses much more than just the protest movements that emerged in the mid-twentieth century in response to ecological degradation. An environmental politics of the Anthropocene is the politics of systemic ecological, economic and social transition of a scale and pace akin to the Industrial Revolution.

One premise of the subject is to demonstrate the ways in which emerging environmental actors, interests and agendas challenge the basic norms and institutions of a system of global governance underpinned by sovereign states and global economic institutions. The second premise of the subject is to highlight models of political empowerment within the context of the changing realities of Anthropocene, with a view to encouraging students to become constructive social actors in the regenerative project of Anthropocene environmental politics.

A big thank you goes out to the guest lecturers who contributed presentations over the semester in POL2GEP, some of whom are featured in this lecture series (in chronological order of appearance in the subject):

• Blanche Higgins, Monash University and RMIT.
• Dr Tim Thornton, La Trobe University.
• Dr Yamini Narayanan, Deakin University.
• Dr Ben Parr, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, Melbourne University.
• Lily Falconer, La Trobe University.
• Dr Nicholas Barry, La Trobe University.
• Sarah Houseman, La Trobe University and OASES Graduate School.