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Course Overview, Logistics

CLIM 101 Weather, Climate and Global Society. Course Overview, Logistics. 1 September 2009. CLIM 101 Weather, Climate and Global Society Fall 2009. Jagadish Shukla Distinguished University Professor Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 19 76 E-mail: shukla@cola.iges.org

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Course Overview, Logistics

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  1. CLIM 101 Weather, Climate and Global Society Course Overview, Logistics 1 September 2009

  2. CLIM 101 Weather, Climate and Global SocietyFall 2009 Jagadish Shukla Distinguished University Professor Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1976 E-mail: shukla@cola.iges.org Phone:(301) 595-7000 Jim Kinter Associate Professor Ph.D., Princeton University, 1984 E-Mail: kinter@cola.iges.org Phone:(301) 595-7000 Emilia K. Jin Assistant Professor Ph.D., Seoul National University, 2005 E-Mail: kjin@cola.iges.org Phone:(301) 595-7000

  3. CLIM 101 Weather, Climate and Global SocietyFall 2009 Instructors • Jagadish Shukla, Jim Kinter, Emilia Jin • Class Schedule • Tuesday & Thursday 10:30 am - 11:45 am in Room 206, Science and Tech 1 • Contact Information • Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday 9:30 am - 10:30 am in Room 315, Research 1 • E-mail: kjin@cola.iges.org • Phone: 301-902-1263 • Homepage: http://mason.gmu.edu/~kchin/CLIM101 • Blackboard: http://courses.gmu.edu CLIM-101-CLIM-101-0011-200970 • Course Description • This General Education Core course provides a survey of the scientific and societal issues associated with weather and climate variability and change. The course will examine • Physical phenomena of the Earth’s weather and climate • Sufficient scientific and technical background to enable students to critically examine arguments being discussed by policy makers and the public at large • Climate variability and changes that have impacts on human society and natural ecosystems • Current debate on climate change from a scientific point of view • Focus on those aspects that have the largest potential impact on global society, socioeconomic systems and natural ecosystems

  4. CLIM 101 Weather, Climate and Global SocietyRequirements, Fall 2009 • Course Requirements • Reading - the primary source material is • The Rough Guide to Climate Change by Robert Henson (RG) • Global Warming: The Complete Briefing by John Houghton (GW) • Lecture notes for each class (posted on GMU Blackboard) • courses.gmu.edu (login; search CLIM101) • Scholarly and popular articles as supplementary material for the lectures and class discussions (will be provided) • 2. Homework - Four problem sets • 3. Mid-term problem set and discussion • 4. Group Oral Presentation / Report • Students will form groups to prepare reports on topics selected in consultation with the course lecturers and make group oral presentations. • Evaluation Criteria • The assessment of student performance will be based on • homework (40%) • mid-term problem set (30 • group oral presentation/report (30%)

  5. GMU Blackboardcourses.gmu.edu

  6. CLIM 101 Weather, Climate and Global SocietyHomework and Mid-term, Fall 2009 • All homework and mid-term problem sets will be posted on GMU Blackboard and sent by e-mail • Please submit your homework/report by hand (to instructor) • Each student should complete the assignments independently. Please ensure that your answers are your own original work.

  7. CLIM 101 Weather, Climate and Global SocietyFinal Report / Presentation • The Earth’s climate is always changing, everywhere. Within the past century or so, mostly because of human activities that have contributed to an enhanced greenhouse effect, the Earth’s climate has changed more rapidly and to a greater degree than at any time in human history. The changes already are having impacts on many sectors of human society and natural ecosystems. • The Commonwealth of Virginia will elect a new Governor in November 2009. The next Governor will need to know what the impacts of climate change are, how large the impacts are likely to be, and what steps should be taken, if any. • The term assignment is to prepare a presentation advising the Governor on the impacts of climate change and how to address them. The economic or ecosystem sectors to be considered include: • the coastal zone • agriculture and food security • flora and fauna (other than agriculture) • water supply (for urban and agricultural consumption) • human health • energy (production and consumption) • transportation

  8. CLIM 101 Weather, Climate and Global SocietyFinal Report / Presentation In particular, the presentation should include: • a qualitative and quantitative description of the sector, including how and why it is sensitive to climate • a summary of how climate change is likely to impact the sector • a list of near-term actions that the Governor should take to help the citizens and businesses of Virginia adapt to the changes in the sector that are inevitable • a list of policy changes that the Governor should support that will limit the adverse effects of climate change on the sector • The class will be divided into seven groups, one for each of sectors, based on student preferences. Each group will be given 25 minutes in one of the last three classes of the semester to brief the Governor-elect. There will be a 10-minute press conference following each briefing in which the instructors and other students will act as the press to ask questions of the briefing team. • Students will be graded on how well they have described the vulnerabilities to climate change and the degree to which the recommended actions and policy changes address the problems. Briefings that include some estimate of the costs of action vs. the costs of doing nothing will receive extra credit.

  9. CLIM 101 Weather, Climate and Global SocietySchedule of Classes • Week 1: Climate, ecosystems and humans  • Week 2: Earth’s climate • Week 3: Global warming  • Week 4: Greenhouse effect • Week 5: Observed climate changes  • Week 6: Projections of global climate change, part 1  • Week 7: Projections of global climate change, part 2  • Week 8: Uncertainties and feedbacks • 20 Oct: Discussion of mid-term • Week 9: Global warming theory and debates about global warming • Week 10: Impacts on health, agriculture, food, and water • Week 11: Adaptation to, and mitigation of, global climate change • Week 12: Carbon footprint, energy use, policy, and congressional bills  • Week 13: Impact of climate change in the U.S. and Virginia  • Week 14: What can individuals, governments, or industries do? • 3 Dec: Student presentations • Week 15:Student presentations

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