Climate Affairs

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2011:

This subject is highly relevant to one of the most important environmental issues facing the world today. It will cover the basics of climate science, including climate change and climate variability, extremes, and climate prediction, followed by an analysis of climate impacts on society, ecosystems and economies. What we need to know about the climate system in order to make sound decisions, and how we know, will be analysed. The rationale of climate policy and law at the national level (eg National Greenhouse Strategy) and international level (e.g., UN conventions) will be discussed. The relevance to societies, people and the environment will be covered under the umbrella topic of climate ethics, including issues such as potential winners and losers from climate change, intergenerational equity and instruments of protection. The subject will include team based activities and projects.

Planned Learning Outcomes are:

• Understand climate as a complex system;
• Describe components and causes;
• An appreciation of how we know;
• Ability to critique climate change papers in journals such as Scientific American, New Scientist and Nature;
• Ability to describe fundamentals of Greenhouse effect and enhanced Greenhouse effect;
• Ability to judge media reports;
• Ability to analyse the chain of uncertainty and formulate scenarios;
• Broad understanding of impacts;
• Understanding of philosophy, ethics and the international issues of climate change;
• Ability to appreciate different cultural styles and their solution preferences;
• Capacity to debate policy options;
• Knowledge of where and how to source information

After completing this subject, students should be able to:

• Understand climate as a complex system;
• Describe components and causes;
• Critique climate change papers in journals such as Scientific American, New Scientist and Nature;
• Describe fundamentals of Greenhouse effect and enhanced Greenhouse effect;
• Judge media reports;
• Analyse the impacts using risk assessment tools used by economists;
• Understand the philosophy, ethics and the international issues of climate change;
• Appreciate different cultural styles and their solution preferences; and
• Debate policy options

Practical work and team based activities will be key parts of the subject and the assessment process.

Assessment is expected to be based approximately on the following:

• Review paper (2500 words) and presentation in class 25%
• Team project (output delivered in class) 40%
• Practical assignment(s) 35%

TBA

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• The ability to describe an earth system (the climate system) in scientific terms;
• Reasoning and decision making using uncertain (probabilistic) information;
• The capacity to analyse climate-related national and international policy and treaties, and their relevance to societies, people and the environment; and
• Ability to apply underpinning knowledge and scientific reasoning to environmental problem solving, including collaborative problem solving, and to environmental negotiation.