12-766   Special Topics: Climate Change Science and Solutions

This course consists of four parts.

The first part will provide a primer for those who are curious about the physical mechanisms by which climate is determined, and by which climate change occurs. The treatment of these mechanisms will not be overly quantitative, and no knowledge of meteorology or atmospheric science is needed. College-level physics, as well as basic calculus and basic chemistry, is, however, needed.

The second part will describe the projected consequences of climate change, as well as those that are already occurring. This part will also familiarize students with how societies might adapt to these changes.

The third part will explore (and critique) some of the tools that decision-makers use to quantify and compare the damages caused by these consequences.

The final part of the course will discuss some of the technologies that could be used to prevent dangerous climate change.


Textbook(s):

Textbook information can be found at the CMU Bookstore