Highly relevant (not-to-be-missed) topics on Global Environmental Politics?

[Raul Pacheco-Vega]

Dear all,

It's been a while since I have participated in the GEP-ED discussions. 
Hoping the new semester is treating you well.

I am hoping to teach for the very first time (fingers crossed) a Special 
Topics in International Relations with a focus on Global/International 
Environmental Politics this January (undergraduate level). I'm trying to 
design the syllabus in a way that I cover *most* of the highly relevant 
topics in GEP/IEP. I am hoping to do a cursory review of several 
international environmental treaties (Rotterdam, Stockholm, Kyoto and 
the Copenhagen COP 15 rounds).

The question that has had me pondering for the past few weeks has been 
whether there are any *key* topics that I should not miss in a course 
like this. Climate change seems to have become a predominant topics in 
the GEP literature, yet my own research interests (hazardous waste, 
toxics, pollutant release inventories, wastewater) drive me to not want 
to focus solely on climate change.

If you teach a GEP/IEP course, which subject topic would you say is "a 
must"?

Thanks!
Raul