GD305-15 Challenges of Climate Change (Term 1)
Introductory description
The changes to global climate being brought about by human activity present one of the greatest challenges to confront humanity, and are likely to have a profound effect over the working lives of today's students. Understanding them requires a comprehensive approach spanning multiple disciplines. The aim of this module is to equip students to begin to do this, by providing a grounding in the central scientific, economic and political issues surrounding climate change.
Module aims
To provide undergraduates from a wide range of backgrounds with an up to date view of the central challenges that climate change poses. This will be delivered from experts across different disciplines, each describing challenges in their field at a level suitable for all. Following the course we aim to equip students to address these challenges. The students should be able to:
a) Understand the major issues that climate change raises across a range of disciplines (science, economics, politics, engineering etc).
b) Explain the approaches to these challenges that are currently at play, or proposed, and the problems they create.
c) Appreciate the role of uncertainty in climate change, how this may be folded into actions, and how it is implemented across different fields (where it often has slightly different meanings).
d) Critically examine material relating to climate and climate change, and assess its reliability.
e) Be able to meaningfully discuss the nature of climate change with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
This is an interdisciplinary course, which will address the major scientific, philosophical, social, economic, political and technological challenges arising from climate change (real or imagined, manmade or not). It will cover the central issues of the field with expert lecturers, who will speak at a level accessible to non-experts in the field, with the only requirements being a grasp of Science and Mathematics to GCSE level. In particular the course will address the following issues.
Week One - Introduction
Week Two - Physical basis of Climate Change
Week Three - Climate modelling and its discontents
Week Four - Environmental impacts of Climate Change
Week Five - The Economics of Climate Change
Week Six - Uncertainty of Climate Change
Mitigation Scenarios
Week Seven - Climate Change and the Energy Industry
Week Eight - Migration and Climate Change
Week Nine - Climate Justice and Climate Politics
Week Ten - Christmas Lecture
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Understand the key underlying physical processes that drive climate.
- Apply this basic knowledge to determine how changes in the atmospheric composition might impact global temperatures in idealised systems.
- Recognize the complexity of climate in practice, and the sources of uncertainty in both measuring past climate, and in future projections.
- Identify the possible impacts of climate change on environmental, human and economic scales.
- Critique the plausible alternative paths to carbon free living, and be able to evaluate their relative costs and benefits.
- Appreciate the fundamental difficulties in arriving at an agreement via collective bargaining.
- Understand the suggested mechanisms for either adapting to, or mitigating against, climate change, and those which are (or have been) used.
- Appreciate the scope and limitations of market influences on individual and collective decisions affecting climate change, and the prospects for designing new economic instruments.
- Critically assess the various economic methods for evaluating climate change.
Research element
Students are expected to undertake independent research as part of this module
Interdisciplinary
This is an interdisciplinary course, which will address the major scientific, philosophical, social, economic, political and technological challenges arising from climate change (real or imagined, manmade or not).
International
This is embedded into the principal themes of the module which are:
The underlying physical processes that govern global climate, the evidence for human-induced warming, predictions for the future, and assessment of mitigation strategy.
Ecological, economic and social consequences of climate change.
Difficulties in the way of reaching a political consensus for action to mitigate climate change; political strategies and technological mechanisms to overcome them, and to adapt to future changes.
Students taking this module will gain a solid understanding of the major challenges that climate change presents, together with knowledge enabling them to participate actively and constructively in the efforts to meet them.
Subject specific skills
Subject knowledge and understanding
- Understand the key underlying physical processes that drive climate.
- Apply this basic knowledge to determine how changes in the atmospheric composition might impact global temperatures in idealised systems.
- Recognize the complexity of climate in practice, and the sources of uncertainty in both measuring past climate, and in future projections.
- Identify the possible impacts of climate change on environmental, human and economic scales.
- Critique the plausible alternative paths to carbon free living, and be able to evaluate their relative costs and benefits.
- Appreciate the fundamental difficulties in arriving at an agreement via collective bargaining.
- Understand the suggested mechanisms for either adapting to, or mitigating against, climate change, and those which are (or have been) used.
- Appreciate the scope and limitations of market influences on individual and collective decisions affecting climate change, and the prospects for designing new economic instruments.
- Critically assess the various economic methods for evaluating climate change.
Transferable skills
Written communication skills
Oral communication skills
Working with others
Problem solving
Information technology
Numeracy
Research across various disciplines
Peer review
Teaching split
Provider | Weighting |
---|---|
Global Sustainable Development | 60% |
Life Sciences | 20% |
Physics | 10% |
Warwick Business School | 10% |
Study time
Type | Required |
---|---|
Lectures | 9 sessions of 2 hours (12%) |
Seminars | 9 sessions of 2 hours (12%) |
Private study | 114 hours (76%) |
Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
Research and reading in preparation for the seminars
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.
Assessment group A1
Weighting | Study time | |
---|---|---|
Group Presentation | 30% | |
15 Minute Group Presentation |
||
Essay | 50% | |
Mulitple choice quiz | 20% | |
Multi-choice questions |
Feedback on assessment
The multiple choice questions will automatically release both a mark, and a detailed analysis of the questions as soon as the deadline is passed. Similarly, written feedback on submitted work will be given through Tabula within the University guideline periods.
Courses
This module is Optional for:
-
UECA-3 Undergraduate Economics 3 Year Variants
- Year 3 of L100 Economics
- Year 3 of L100 Economics
- Year 3 of L100 Economics
- Year 3 of L116 Economics and Industrial Organization
- Year 3 of L116 Economics and Industrial Organization
-
UECA-4 Undergraduate Economics 4 Year Variants
- Year 4 of L103 Economics with Study Abroad
- Year 4 of LM1H Economics, Politics & International Studies with Study Abroad
- Year 4 of LM1H Economics, Politics & International Studies with Study Abroad
-
UECA-LM1D Undergraduate Economics, Politics and International Studies
- Year 3 of LM1D Economics, Politics and International Studies
- Year 3 of LM1D Economics, Politics and International Studies
- Year 2 of UIPA-L8A1 Undergraduate Global Sustainable Development
This module is Unusual option for:
-
UMDA-B990 Undergraduate Health and Medical Sciences
- Year 2 of B990 Health and Medical Sciences
- Year 2 of B990 Health and Medical Sciences
- Year 2 of B990 Health and Medical Sciences