1. 2525 Space Research Building (North Campus)
Climate Change: An Inter-disciplinary Approach to Problem Solving (CLIMATE 480 // NRE 480)
Richard B. Rood
Cell:
2525 Space Research Building (North Campus)
Winter 2016
Class 1, January 7, 2016
Syllabus: Introduction: Course Outline; Student Backgrounds; Introduction to a Warming Planet

2. Class Information and News
Ctools site: CLIMATE_480_001_W16
Record of course
Rood’s Class MediaWiki Site

3. Today
Course Description Overview
Who are we?
Some Questions and Discussion
Glimpse in the Climate Change Problem

4. From Course Description
This is not a math-oriented course
Identify the important elements of science, policy, economics, public health, etc.
Where should we pay attention?
What do we know versus what do we believe?
Identify and map the interactions between these elements and connections to other external elements
How big is the problem?
How is all of this changing?

5. Readings, Class Participation, Response
Readings and Participation
I (and possible guest lecturers) will assign small “reading” requirements
Response questions and polls in Ctools
“Readings”
Papers
Descriptions of key figures
Lectures

6. Focus / Project
This year we are going to think about the results of the Conference of the Parties in Paris, COP 21
What are the challenges of meeting the goals of COP 21?
Scenarios of what the world will look like in 30 to 50 years
How do these scenarios help us plan

7. Series of lectures and introduction to climate science.
Course strategy
Series of lectures and introduction to climate science.
Break into groups focused on different subject areas, e.g. energy, sea level rise, agriculture, health, waste management, etc.
Readings/lectures that provide entre into the field will be assigned, but groups will take on learning and introducing these subjects to the class
Focus on the use of scientific knowledge in planning and decision making

8. Who Am I?
Richard (Ricky) Rood, Department Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP) with an appointment in Natural Resources and Environment
Current research – improving the use of knowledge about climate change in policy and planning
Advisor CLaSP Masters of Engineering in Applied Climate and undergraduate degree in Climate Impacts Engineering
Wunderground.com “expert” blogger
Teaching this course for the tenth time.
Teaching, overseeing projects in several other courses

9. Who are we? Name: Major or Interest:
Any course or background expertise that you think might be important for this course
Any particular reason you wanted to take this course
Where do you get your news?

10. James Apfel, Mechanical,
Vahid Arefi, Mechanical,
Phoebe Aron, Earth and environmental science,
Jason Bohrer, computer science,
Erika Fluehr, SNRE, history,
Dean Fogarasi, SNRE, atmospheric science,
Hayden Hedman
Samuel Jagodzinski, Chemical Engineering,

11. Ishi Keenum – CEE -
Nurie Kim – CEE -
Erik Kostrzewa – CLaSP, Met,
Pratik Lakhani, CEE, El Nino interest,
Ashley Lucier, PiTE,
Jack Magri, CEE,
Ben Mallernee, CLaSP, Climate,
Kelly McDonald, Cognitive Science,

12. John Mirandette, International Studies, sustainability,
Sarah Paleg
Jasmine Sholapurwalla, IOE, PiTE,
Jayson Toweh, PiTE,
Nathan Wallace, Chem Engineer, PiTE, emission reduction,
Trevor, IOP
Wen Juan, Visiting Scholar,

13. Let’s see if we will talk
Some questions for motivation:
Is there anything in the recent news that alerts you to climate change as an important issue?
When some one asks you about global warming, or you hear about global warming, what is your first reaction?
Do you think that the planet is warming?
Is this warming consequential?
Is this warming manmade?
Can we do something about it?
Are we cooked?

14. End of st Class

15. The motivator: Increase of CO2 (Keeling et al., 1996)

16. Climate Change Relationships
Consumption // Population // Energy
ENERGY
CLIMATE CHANGE
POPULATION
SOCIETAL SUCCESS
CONSUMPTION

17. Projected Global Temperature Trends
temperatures relative to
Special Report on Emissions Scenarios Storyline B2 (middle of the road warming).
IPCC ‘01

18. IPCC 2007: The last ~100 years
Figure SPM.3. Observed changes in (a) global average surface temperature, (b) global average sea level from tide gauge (blue) and satellite (red) data and (c) Northern Hemisphere snow cover for March-April. All changes are relative to corresponding averages for the period 1961–1990. Smoothed curves represent decadal average values while circles show yearly values. The shaded areas are the uncertainty intervals estimated from a comprehensive analysis of known uncertainties (a and b) and from the time series (c). {FAQ 3.1, Figure 1, Figure 4.2, Figure 5.13}

19. What parameters/events do we care about?
Temperature
Water
Precipitation
Evaporation
Humidity
Air Composition
Air quality
Aerosols
Carbon dioxide
Winds
Clouds / Sunlight
Droughts
Floods
Extreme Weather
The impact of climate change is
Water for Ecosystems
Water for People
Water for Energy
Water for Physical Climate

20. Thanks