NASA Climate Change Program
School of Continuing Studies
Dr David E Kitchen
The Global Environmental Impact of Rapid Climate Change
Rationale
Rapid climate change is causing an increase in the temperature of the atmosphere and oceans. This is a truly global problem that requires international research and collaboration to resolve. The USA is a major producer of the atmospheric “greenhouse” gases that make a significant contribution to this global “anthropogenic” warming. The aim of this course is to introduce students to the global environmental impact of anthropogenic climate change, and to challenge students to think about the possible impact of the way we live in the USA on poor, marginalized and at risk communities around the world.
Approach to Teaching
Students will be introduced to this topic through an introduction to the complex interrelationships that exist between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, and how these work together to determine the direction of climate change. The focus of the course, however, will be on how students can apply this knowledge to illuminate how selected regions across the world are most likely to be affected by the impact of rapid climate change. As an output from this course, students will be challenged to think critically about possible solutions and effective policies to help mitigate this impact. A large part of the course work will be research based, with students working alone or in small groups to explore the likely environmental, social, political and economic impacts of climate change on specific areas. The results of this research will be presented in class and followed by critical discussion.
Likely regions of the world for exploration include:
· Northern Canada and Siberia
· Sub-Saharan Africa
· Northern Africa
· Middle East
· Bangladesh
· Himalayas
· Amazonia
· North Atlantic
· Low lying coastal communities
· Coral Reefs
To conclude, students will consider the specific impact of economic growth, energy consumption, and environmental policy in the USA and Europe on global climate, and consider what solutions are available to help address these problems. There will be class discussions on the implementation of the Kyoto protocol, the Stern report, strategies proposed through the Copenhagen Consensus, and the role of climate skeptics and the media leading public discussion. Finally, students will consider what role carbon taxes, carbon trading, carbon sequestration, alternative energy sources, and direct action by the general public and can have in partially addressing the problem.
Syllabus
Week One
Objectives and expected learning outcomes
What’s up with the weather? An introduction to climate change
Week Two
Brief introduction to the scientific debate, and introduction to some of the socio political questions
Watch the Al Gore video and Channel 4 videos followed by a class discussion of the scientific social and political issues raised
Week Three
The Evidence for Climate Change
Changes in natural systems around the Earth that suggest that the climate is changing
Paper_1 Due end of week three “In your opinion how effective is the Al Gore video be in elevating public awareness and creating active concern about the impact of global warming: were you convinced?”
Week Four
The Climate Machine_1
Natural and anthropogenic factors that drive the Earth’s climate
Week Five
The Climate Machine_2
Natural and anthropogenic factors that drive the Earth’s climate
Week Six
Decoding the past_1
Understanding ancient climates
Assignment_1 Due end of week six: “Interpreting NASA data online”
Week Seven
Decoding the past_2
Understanding ancient climates
Week Eight
The Impact of Climate Change_1
How climate change is impacting the human and natural environment
Week Nine
The Impact of Climate Change_2
How climate change is impacting the human and natural environment
Assignment_2 Due end of week nine: “Interpreting NASA data online”
Students choose topic for their project this week
Select one of the topics from the list of topics below, and prepare an in-depth report on the social, political, economical and environmental dimensions of the problem. Pay attention to possible solutions
· Northern Canada and Siberia: The impact on wildlife, and native peoples of the rapid decrease in year round ice packs and the melting of permafrost
· Subsaharan Africa, Northern Africa and the Middle East: The impact of desertification and the political impact of competition for water resources
· Bangladesh: The impact of increased storm intensity and sea level rise on densely populated rural populations
· Himalayas: Melting of glaciers and the short term threat of catastrophic flooding and long term threat of water shortages on isolated communities
· Amazonia: The possible effects of climate related deforestation on the economies of the Amazon basin and long term climate implications.
· North Atlantic: The severe winter cooling impact of any weakening of the North Atlantic thermohaline conveyor on N.W. Europe
· Sea level change: Global impact on sea level of the melting of the Greenland and/or West Antarctic ice sheets and the impact on coastal communities
· Storm Intensity: Impact of possible increased El Nino activity and Atlantic Ocean storm intensity on global climates
Coral Reefs: The impact of sea temperatures on reef communities, coral bleaching and the impact of fishing and tourism
Week Ten
Turning Knowledge into action_1
Can science inform and direct policy?
Week Eleven
Turning Knowledge into action_2
Can science inform and direct policy?
Week Twelve
A New Energy Crisis_1
Is “burn baby burn” the only answer?
Week Thirteen
A New Energy Crisis_2
Is “burn baby burn” the only answer?
Paper_2 Due end of week thirteen: “If climate is never static, why should we be concerned about the possibility of climate change today?”
Week Fourteen
Turning the Tide
Hope for the future?
Student Project written work due end of week fourteen
Week Fifteen
Student Presentations
Week Sixteen
Student Presentations and final conclusions
Final Paper “Al Gore believes that global warming is as much a moral and ethical issue as a scientific problem. Do you agree?”
Students taking the course at Masters Level will have to produce an additional substantial paperGrading Criteria and Policy
Final grades in this course will be based on the following assignments:
Assignment % of Grade
Attendance and Participation 10
Paper One 15
Assignment One 10
Assignment Two 10
Paper Two 15
Projects 25
Final Paper 15
To do well on the participation component of the grade, students will want to regularly demonstrate through comments and questions that they have read and thought critically about assigned readings.
Grades
A 92-100% C 72-77.9%
A- 90-91.9% C- 70-71.9%
B+ 88-89.9% D+ 68-69.9%
B 82-87.9% D 60-67.9%
B- 80-81.9% F 0-59.9%
C+ 78-79.9%
Essential Reading
As the science and debate about global warming is so topical, students will be referred to original sources, mostly peer reviewed, for research. There are hundreds of books about global warming in general, but all are out of date as soon as published. Books will be recommended to students, but not required for this course, which is both original and innovative. As I am writing a book for Prentice Hall on this topic I will give students a lot of original material from this source.
Research References
· Extracts from the IPCC Assessment Reports (available in PDF format online)
· Papers from NOAA (available online)
· Papers from the Journal Science (available online and in the library)
· Papers from the Journal Geology (available through the UR library and my personal library)
· Articles from the Journal Nature (available through the UR library and my personal library)
· Articles from the UK Met Office Hadley Center (available online)
· USA Environmental Protection Agency Papers (available online)
· Articles from Climate.Org, a highly respected and acclaimed blog by climate scientists
· Manchester University Atmosphere, Climate and Environment Information program (online university level course in climate science)
· Selected articles and editorials from the Economist, New York Times, and New Scientist
· Many other respected, peer reviewed sources of original research.
Likely Students
As an SCS course this will fulfill the course requirement as an area of study in natural sciences. Permission will also be sought from the Environmental Science course team (I am a currently coordinator) for environmental science students to take this course. The course is available to MLA students who are required to submit a substantial paper in addition to the work required by undergraduate students, and will be assessed generally at a higher level throughout the curriculum.
My Interest
I have a long-standing interest in teaching about climate change and the environment. At Richmond I have taught regularly both in the School of Continuing Studies (where I also carry the rank of Associate Professor) and in A&S Environmental Studies, where I co-taught the senior seminar for three years and sit on the course planning team. I represented the Provost in establishing the University’s Environmental Awareness Group and was the Environmental Fellow for the Associated Colleges of the South for two years. In the past year I have presented publicly on the topic of climate change in the University of Richmond (Jepson Forum), the Virginia Museum of Science, the Richmond Archeological Society, various Rotary Clubs and the Virginia Gem and Mineral Society. At the University of Ulster, as full time tenured faculty in environmental studies, I taught courses related to ancient climate and supervised two postgraduate students on topics related to environmental change. I also worked as liaison for the University of Ulster with the European Commission, interpreting environmental policy and working on a range of environmental initiatives in the UK, Ireland, Albania and Greece. Most of all
Monday, January 11, 2010
Dr David E Kitchen
Associate Dean and Associate Professor