Tags
EES
Admissions requirements
Global Challenges: Sustainability, Earth Systems Science
Description
Climate change represents one of the most pressing issues currently facing human societies. This course introduces students to the key scientific issues that surround the climate change debate, the spatial patterns of both physical and human dimensions of climate change, and marginally touches on a wider social and political context as this has important bearings upon both the scientific debate, policy responses and options to master the challenges of climate change. Topics covered in this course will be:
The climate system and climatic characteristics
Main factors contributing to natural climate change, methods of climate reconstruction for geologic (106) and Quaternary timescales (103 years)
Climate change over the past 11000 years: sources of evidence, impact on human civilizations, feedbacks
Anthropogenic forcings of the climate system: observations, evidence, and effects
Projected impact of climate change on the environment and human societies
What can we do about it? Mitigation, adaptation
All too complex? The battle for solutions: Physics, social systems, politics, ethics; so who to send the bill?
Course objectives
Students will learn what is driving climate change across a range of temporal and spatial scales, and how drivers of climate change interact with other earth cycles and human societies:
Students can describe the interconnectedness of and feedbacks between the main controls of climate change, environmental earth processes and human systems
Students can distinguish long-term and short-term perspectives on natural climate change
Students can critically reflect on projected impacts of climate change on the environment and human societies
Students can lay out ethical and political issues associated with climate change.
Furthermore, by focusing on evaluating climate data and scientific journal articles students develop skills and competence in critically evaluating data, scientific arguments, and arguments brought up by different political and economic interest groups practiced giving a insightful presentation.
Timetable
Once available, timetables will be published here.
Mode of instruction
This course will center on lecturing, reading and discussing scientific sources to further the understanding of the past to recent history, drivers and effects as well as projections of future climate change.
Weekly sessions will introduce a facet of the climate change debate by means of lecturing and/or in-class discussions. Some sessions will be focusing on the more in-depth discussion of a specific topic, which may include to read student reports (assignment) in advance and student presentations on a specific topic.
Depending on the number of students, paired students will delve into a topic of interest by means of editing a report-style paper (4000 words) that is related to climate change. For the report, students will be responsible for identifying, and reading thoroughly, at least 10 scientific papers dealing with the selected topic next to other suitable sources of information. Each paper shall be based on an annotated bibliography (one or two paragraphs long per paper/source). The review paper is due in Week 4 and basic to an in-class presentation followed by a structured discussion (starting from Week 4 or 5).
Assessment
Assessment, 15%, individual: In-class participation
Assessment, 25%, individual: Data evaluation and plotting lab
Assessment, 26%, student pair: Review paper
Assessment, 17%, student pair: In-class presentation
Assessment, 17%, individual: Final exam (45 min)
Grading of student pairs: Students will be given the opportunity to reflect on their teamwork in order individually adjust a grade for individually variable contributions
Blackboard
There will be a Blackboard site available for this course. Students will be enrolled at least one week before the start of classes.
Reading list
There will be no required textbook for the course. Required readings will draw on material from various sources and posted on BB. Still, students are strongly encouraged utilizing information and materials from the IPCC assessment reports (links will provided on Blackboard).
Registration
This course is open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Registration is coordinated by the Curriculum Coordinator. Interested non-LUC students should contact course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
p.houben@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Students will be notified of the reading required to arrive prepared to the first class via Blackboard in the week before the course starts (if applicable).