“The most important thing that individuals can do [about climate change] is vote, and vote on the climate” —– Michael E. Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth & Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, CNBC Interview Sept. 5, 2021. HERE
“Gordon Brown thinks you should solve climate change by changing your lightbulbs. We think you should solve climate change by changing your government.“ —– Siân Berry, Leader of The Green Party of England and Wales (2018-2021), Keynote Speech Sept 14, 2007, Green Party Autumn Conference in Liverpool. HERE
“When I talk to people about [climate change] , they always say ‘we need to have hope, otherwise we won’t do anything…we can’t just tell these negative stories – we need to tell the positive stories’. No, we need to tell the truth. We can’t hide things just because it’s not hopeful”—–Greta Thunberg, Climate Activist, The Magnitude of All Things, 2021. HERE
—————————————————————————————————————–
Course Description: Climate Change IS is arguably the greatest challenge of the modern age***. We will examine the science of climate change, including the factors that control the Earth’s climate system, the methods used to study climate variations, the nature of climate models and prediction scenarios, the changes of the Earth’s climate through time, and the evidence that modern-day climate change is human-induced.
The development of human civilization since the end of the last Ice Age took place in a relatively stable and moderate global climate. During this period, even small climatic perturbations such as the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age had major and lasting impacts on human society. It is therefore essential that we understand, anticipate, and work to mitigate the climatic changes that human activities have been driving since the onset of the “Age of Fossil Fuels” during the Industrial Revolution. This course is designed to bring clarity to the complex and multidisciplinary sciences behind climate change in order to educate students as citizens and stewards of our planet.
PLEASE NOTE: When I (Glass) teach this class, I focus ENTIRELY on the science of climate change. The science, by itself, is a vast and hugely interdisciplinary topic, incorporating lines of reasoning and inquiry from a myriad of scientific disciplines. Even an entire semester is not sufficient to fully cover this wealth of evidence in a comprehensive way. As a result, this course has no room for and will not cover economic or political policies, beyond the bare basics. Considering that the overwhelming majority of other courses at Duke with a “climate change” theme, focus heavily on the latter, as well as, so called, “climate solutions”, these are NOT topics that I will cover at great length or depth in this course. This is first and foremost a science-focused class. The first step towards solving the climate change crisis is to fully understand the science behind climate change. Everything else is putting the cart before the horse.
Official Undergraduate Course Bulletin Description: The science of climate change, including the factors that control the Earth’s climate system, the methods used to study climate variations, the nature of climate models and prediction scenarios, the changes of the Earth’s climate through time, and the evidence that modern-day climate change is human-induced. Related topics include examination of the impacts of climate change on past and present societies, biodiversity, and human health, as well as potential alternative energy and engineering solutions, and the social, political, religious and economic challenges associated with responding and adapting to climate change. Instructors: Glass or Shindell. One Course.
Times and Location:
M, W 10:05am-11:20am
Grainger Hall 1105
***honestly, I think the ability for anyone, anywhere, to disseminate misinformation on the internet (and have it be believed) is ACTUALLY the greatest challenge of our age. The reason why “fixing” climate change ranks so high as a challenge, is in no small part because of misinformation being so widely available and being accepted. Our inability to swiftly and meaningfully address the climate crisis is a symptom of the misinformation age.
