Climate Change Science and Society

3 Units

This course provides a synoptic, multi-disciplinary understanding of the past, present, and future of anthropogenic climate change by integrating three distinct fields: the earth and environmental sciences, biology and ecology, and history. What is changing in the global climate? Why? How do we know? What should we expect in the future? What can be done? No single discipline can answer these questions fully, and by organizing the course around these big questions, we will demonstrate how different disciplines each contribute essential answers. Course covers diverse sources of evidence for climate change in the past and present, the core mechanisms of climate change at different timescales and their consequences, the impact of climate change on human history and history of the discovery of climate change, climate models and ecological forecasts, the modern politics and diplomacy of climate, climate communication, and multiple paths forward for the earth's physical, ecological, and social systems. Offered as BIOL 205 , EEPS 205 , and HSTY 205 .