Climate Change Mitigation

(2 Credits)

Climate change constitutes the leading global environmental challenge of our time. The accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from anthropogenic sources has led to far-reaching and observable impacts. This course introduces the engineering solutions available to address the urgent challenges posed by climate change. It begins by establishing the scientific basis for this concern, with emphasis on the scale of mitigation required to shift toward a sustainable trajectory. An overview of the sources, sinks, dynamics, and warming effects of major GHGs is presented. Given that fossil-fuel based energy systems are the primary driver of anthropogenic GHG emissions, mitigation pathways addressing both energy supply and end-use are explored. Topics include renewable energy for electricity, alternative fuels for transportation, climate impacts of food systems, low-/negative-carbon material production, and energy efficiency strategies in buildings. The course concludes with an exploration of approaches beyond energy system decarbonization and efficiency, focusing on the technical basis and feasibility of carbon management (e.g., capture and sequestration) and climate geoengineering options.