Climate Change Science, History, and Policy

Catalog description

Crosslisted With: ENSC 315 This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to climate change through a combination of lectures, discussion seminars, team tasks, and hands-on data exploration. Students will learn how the climate system works; what factors cause climate to change across different time scales and how those factors interact; how climate has changed in the past; how scientists use models, observations and theory to make predictions about future climate; and the current and future consequences of climate change for our planet. The course explores evidence for changes in air and sea surface temperature, the cryosphere, ocean heat content, sea level, ocean acidity, and vegetation due to modern climate change. Students will learn how climate change today is different from past climate cycles and how satellites and other technologies are revealing the global signals of a changing climate. The course looks at the connection between human activity and the current warming trend and considers some of the potential social, economic and environmental consequences of climate change. Finally, students will examine local, regional, national, and international climate change policy and explore potential structural and non-structural mitigation and adaptation strategies. Prerequisite(s): Completion of FHCI and FSRC Pillars Corequisite(s): None *Fulfills Civitae Core PHCI WI