Global Climate Change: Science, Impacts and Policy

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Understand the impacts of climate change on human and natural systems and how they can be assessed
• Be acquainted with the concepts of experimentation, data assessment, and the visualization of complex data
• Abstract and synthesize information on climate change from a range of different sources.
• Understand the effect of choice of temporal scale when representing climate change, and the critical role of spatial scale in climate processes and climate modelling
• Understand the importance of spatial variation in projected climate change and its anticipated societal impacts
• Produce a fluent written topical synthesis.
• Understand the major policy implications of climate change
• Understand how physical and human processes interact to affect the state of the climate system
• Understand the role of climate change in affecting past, present and future variability in environmental conditions.
• Appreciate particular issues and challenges of multidisciplinary approaches to climate change studies.
• Assess merits of contrasting explanations of climate change.
• Critically review primary literature on climate change and its impacts.
• Understand how consequences of and adaptations to climate change can be managed within specific biophysical systems.
• Understand the nature of long-term change in the climate system and the ways this can be represented.
• Pursue knowledge in an in-depth, ordered, and motivated way.
• Marshall and retrieve data from library and internet sources.

There are three sections to this module: the science of climate change; impacts of climate change; mitigation and politics. The science section covers the nature and basic physics of global climate and climate change, a systems approach to climate (feedbacks and tipping points) and an introduction to climate modelling. It concludes with an examination of the findings of the IPCC working group 1 (science), including observations of climate change and climate change simulations.

The impacts section uses reponses of biological systems (e.g., phenology, reef systems, the Arctic system) and key systems that support human society (e.g., food production and food security, water resources) as example of climate change impacts, current or anticipated. Topics vary yearly.

The final section covers the politics of climate change, which is a critical and contentious area. It assesses legislation, international agreements, adaptation, mitigation, and societal and personal

attitudes to the issue of climate change. Topics vary yearly. For example, in 2015, there was a focus on the COP21 Paris Climate Summit and its outcomes.

Teaching and learning methods

The module uses lectures as the primary teaching and learning mode. Slides are strongly visual. Students are provided with study notes that indicate references and readings that support lecture material.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Boyd E, and Tompkins EL. (2010). Climate Change. A Beginner’s Guide. London: Oneworld.

Houghton, J. (2015). Global warming: the complete briefing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Dessler, A. E (2012). Introduction to modern climate change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Assessment strategy

The referral examination consists of a 2-hour exam with two essay-style answers from a choice of questions. Note this is different from the original exam

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External