INTRODUCTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
ENV 206
CLASS DATES TBA
Instructor
Overview:
This course explores the range of issues associated with the current climate change debate. In it,
students will learn the current state of climate science (and through that lens understand how to
differentiate among different information sources), understand the data and models that lead the
scientific community to conclude that climate change is happening, that humans are a significant
cause, and that climate change is expected to continue over the next century. Finally, the course
will examine potential solutions to climate change.
Prerequisites
None
Required Texts
Bloom, Arnold. Global Climate Change: Convergence of Disciplines
(Course uses mainly on-line materials, and relies heavily on reports by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change and readings from electronic materials available through UNLV
libraries)
Course Objectives:
Students will
 Use the methodologies and models of natural science to define, solve, and evaluate
problems;
 Explain how the scientific community establishes the quality of information, and how
that information is used in public discourse;
 Describe the sources of climate forcing gasses and their effects on earth systems;
 Evaluate the effects of a warmer world, altered climate, and acidified oceans (locally,
nationally and internationally); and
 Describe policy options for mitigating climate change, including adaptation, alternative
energy, carbon sequestration.
Note: this syllabus is subject to change. Any changes will be given during class time and
posted on the class web page.
Class Schedule
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Week
1
2–5
6–7
8 - 10
11 – 13
14 – 15
Topic
Part I: Overview
Introduction to climate change:
History
Current state of the science
Current state of the policy debate.
Part II: Science of Climate Change: Data, theory, modeling and
uncertainty
How science works; understanding which claims are science
Why science can be controversial (with sidetrips to Creationism and
radioactivity)
Accessing science – a trip to the library
Systems Thinking
The data: a warming planet (plus sea level rise, acidifying oceans)
The theory: the Greenhouse Effect
Energy: The elephant in the room
The conclusion: anthropogenic climate change
MIDTERM I
Part III: Effects of climate change
Deciding what to count
Effects to date: local, national, international
Predicted effects
Part IV: Mitigating climate change
The “do nothing” option
Balancing objectives: energy and economy
Energy alternatives
 Carbon sequestration, renewables, the nuclear debate
Conservation and efficiency
 Transportation, Building, Manufacturing, Agriculture
Adapting to a warmer world
MIDTERM II
Part IV: Policies, politics
Decision making under uncertainty
National Politics and Climate Change
 California, Massachusetts v USEPA, political debate
International Politics and Climate Change
 Before, during and after Kyoto, the China Challenge
Climate and conflict: fresh water, sea level rise, energy resources
An aesthetic of climate consciousness?
Part V: Wrapping Up
The Wedge Game
Student presentations
FINAL EXAMINATION, Time TBA
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CLASS POLICIES
Grading: Each student can earn as many as 100 total points in this class: 50 from midterm
exams, 30 from the final exam, 10 for in-class participation and 10 for presentations. Final
grades will be based on the following scale.
A = 100 – 92 points, A- = 90 –91 points, B+ = 88 – 89 points, B = 87 – 82 points, B- = 80
– 81 points, C+ = 78 – 79 points, C = 77 – 71 points, C- = 70 points, D+ = 68 – 69 points,
D = 67 – 60 points, F = less than 60 points
Exams: Midterm I will cover material from weeks 1 – 5; Midterm II will cover material from
weeks 6 – 10 (although you will quickly see that weeks 6 – 10 build on 1 – 5), and the Final
Exam will be cumulative.
Participation: Discussing the readings during each class session is a significant part of learning
in this course. Students are expected to complete the readings before class, and have some
questions/comments prepared. The in-class participation portion of the grade will be based on
completing classroom exercises during class time; students will need to come to class prepared as
directed during the semester
Students Presentations: Students will present in-depth discussions of some aspect of climate
science or policy that interests them. Details on this will be provided after the second Midterm.
Disabilities: If you have a documented disability that may require assistance, you will need to go
to the Disability Resource Center (DRC) for coordination of academic accommodations. The
Disability Resource Center is located in the Reynolds Student Services Building room 137. The
DRC phone number is 895-0866 (TDD-895-0652) or drcssc@ccmail.nevada.edu.
Withdrawals: Withdrawals from the course are possible through the date specified in the Fall
2001 Catalog. Until then you may drop with no questions asked. After that date, withdrawals
are not permitted for any reason.
Incompletes: I will give an incomplete in the course if, for some reason beyond your control
(hospitalization, death in the family) you cannot complete the course. Under no circumstances
will you be given an incomplete because you are failing.
How can I do well in this course ?
Success in college, as in much of life, requires that you plan ahead. In college, planning requires
that you are aware of your class schedules, and that your studying always prepares you for exams
and assignments. I recommend that you pursue the following activities to be an active
participant in your learning and to facilitate successful completion of your courses. Recall
that for every hour you spend in class, you are expected to spend at least two hours outside of
class reading, studying, or working on assignments; for summer session, this amounts to almost
three and a half hours of studying per day. Make this a regular practice—not something you do
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at the last minute or just before exams.
1) Attend every class meeting. This cannot be overemphasized. Take careful notes. Some
students respond to the lack of roll call in college with sporadic attendance. Such action is
academically suicidal. There is too much material in the textbook for everything to be on an
exam; therefore, you must learn what the instructor=s emphasis is. You can only ascertain this
by attending every lecture and taking down as much of the information presented in the lecture as
possible. As a general rule: a good student will miss at most ONE class sessions, and then only
in an emergency situation.
2) Obtain class notes on the Internet before class and annotate them during lecture. As an
additional check, meet with classmates to compare notes several days before an exam.
3) Read the assigned material before coming to class. Textbooks should not be read like
novels. When reading textbooks, emphasize the chapter outlines, headings and subheadings,
material that is highlighted or enumerated, and figures. Read the summary, review questions,
and key terms at the end of the chapter first. Next, skim through the chapter, reading only section
headings and emphasized words. Then read lists, tables, and figures. Finally, read the chapter
from start to finish. This reading method will take a few more minutes, but your comprehension
and retention will be much better than with a straight read-through.
4) Recopy your notes. If your note taking is anything like mine, your notes will likely be a little
disorganized, sloppy and incomplete. It is very important that, as soon as possible, you sit down
and recopy the in-class notes into a neater, more comprehensible format for later study. Use the
text and notes on the Internet as a reference to aid in rewriting lecture notes after class. Save
your original notes for reference or emergencies, but study from your neat notes. Reorganization
of notes is greatly facilitated by a computer, but rewriting by hand is also effective. Both sets
should be stored safely in a binder or on a disc.
5) Study the recopied notes well before an exam (two weeks before a comprehensive final).
This is where your calendar is very important. You should mark it with not only the exam dates,
but also with the Abegin study@ dates. Study should not be a passive re-reading, but a very active
process during which important headings and concepts are marked, and perhaps rewritten.
Highlighter pens, colored pens, and colored pencils can all be employed to help make the process
active and conceptually supportive (by linking concepts and terms with similar inks or colors).
6) Obtain and fill out a calendar now. Assemble the schedule (syllabus) from each of your
classes and enter important dates from each on the same calendar. Include the exam dates. This
lets you know when to emphasize which class, day-by-day, week-by-week.
Copyright and fair use requirements
The university requires each member of the University Community to become familiar with and
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follow copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually and solely responsible for
violations of copyright and fair use laws. The University will neither protect nor defend you nor
assume any responsibility for employee or student violations of copyright or fair use laws.
Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil penalties and criminal
liabilities as well as disciplinary action under University policies. To help familiarize yourself
with copyright and fair use policies, the University encourages you to visit its copyright web page
at:
http://www.unlv.edu/committees/copyright
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