Local-Scale Climate Policy I: GHG Inventories

Catalog description

ESP 481 is the first course in a two-course series for the Local Climate Action Program. ESP 481 provides students with the foundational knowledge to establish the context and necessity of local scale climate action by exploring the historical and contemporary basis of climate science and policy at a variety of scales of governance. Students are partnered with representatives from local governments seeking support for advancing local climate policy initiatives. Throughout the semester, students build relationships with their government partners, learn about the community they're working with, and complete a greenhouse gas emissions inventory at either the community- or local government operations scale. Students then work through the process of collecting and analyzing the data necessary to construct community-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventories for local government partners. Students spend the final part of the semester learning how to report the findings of their inventorying work to their community partners through both a written inventory methodology report and a public presentation to the local government's elected officials.