ENVS 106b Life on a Changing Planet: Climate Change and Its Implications
Fall 2015
Tuesdays 6:30 to 9:20 pm
Room to be determined
Frank Lowenstein, Lecturer in Environmental Studies
Cell phone: 413.854.8319
Email: climate@brandeis.edu
Twitter: @flowenstein
Office Hours: Tuesdays 5-6 in Rabb 373
Will Fagan, Teaching Assistant
Cell Phone: 843.637.0401
Email: wfagan@brandeis.edu
Office Hours: TBD
Course description:
What will climate change mean for you and your life? How do we know? And what can we do? This
course will examine the intersection of climate science, public policy around greenhouse gases,
economics, and options for response to climate change. Students will be asked at each stage to consider
the implications of options, the likely impacts on nature and society as a result of the accumulation of
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and the challenges of both acting and
not acting to address those impacts.
Each 3-hour class will typically include a lecture and discussion, followed by a group exercise focused on
environmental problem solving techniques, decision tools and negotiations techniques applied in a
climate change context. Each week students will take turns leading the discussion of key readings.
Weekly syllabus topics shown below may be adjusted depending on current events associated with
climate and the progress of the class.
Learning Goals:
1) Students will gain a broad understanding of climate change science, policy and economics
including details of:
a. The forces driving climate change
ENVS 106b page 1 of 8
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
The likely impacts of climate change on society and ecosystems
The challenges involved in mitigating climate change and adapting to it
Policy frameworks for addressing climate change at various spatial scales
The economics of climate change
Current societal debates and approaches to the issue of climate change
Uncertainties in current scientific understanding of climate and the implications of
uncertainty for decision-making
2) Students will gain practical environmental problem-solving skills including:
a. Use of brainwriting to generate solutions
b. Use of analytic hierarchy processes for evaluating solutions
c. Negotiations skills and dynamics
d. Use of online climate downscaling tools to understand local impacts.
Grading:
Attendance and participation in class discussion: 20%
Weekly reading reactions (graded on depth of analysis or insight, clarity of thinking and timeliness): 20%
Response to the Papal Encyclical 10%
Additional weekly assignments: negotiation update, reading presentations 15%
Final paper: 35%
Class schedule:
The class will be taught via one three-hour block on Tuesday evenings. Because this is a once a week
class, missing even one class will significantly impair your ability to meet the learning objectives. Missing
one class will directly reduce your participation grade, but is also likely to make it harder to fulfill other
assignments in the class. Please contact me immediately if you become aware that you will miss a class.
Please note that there are several schedule challenges inherent in the Brandeis academic calendar this
year. After our first two classes on September 1 and 8, we will have a week off for Rosh Hashanah (no
class September 15th). Although class is officially in session September 22nd, we are aware that this is
Erev Yom Kippur. And finally September 29th is scheduled as a Brandeis Monday! We will seek to avoid
missing three weeks in a row of classes and will be discussing this at the first class. In addition,
November 24th is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving vacation begins. Please do not plan to leave town
before the end of class on the 24th. We will be holding class that evening.
ENVS 106b page 2 of 8
Prerequisites and workload:
This class requires no formal prerequisites, but presumes a familiarity with reading of graphs and charts.
There will be approximately 50-100 pages of reading assigned per week, plus weekly reading response
writing assignments. Completing the Papal Encyclical exercise, tracking the climate negotiations, and the
final paper all will require additional reading.
Class Accommodation:
If you are a student with a documented disability at Brandeis and wish to request a reasonable
accommodation for this class, please contact me accordingly and in a timely manner. Any
accommodations for assignments with a deadline should be requested at least a week before that
deadline.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism:
You may only submit your own original work in this course; this includes exams, observations, reading
reactions, final papers, class presentations and updates, and any other work or media. Please be careful
to cite precisely and properly the sources of all authors and persons you have drawn upon in your
written work. Plagiarism (from published or internet sources, or from another student) is a serious
violation of academic integrity. Please refer to Section 4 “Maintenance of Academic Integrity” of the
Brandeis Rights and Responsibilities booklet:
http://www.brandeis.edu/studentaffairs/srcs/rr/RR13_14.pdf.
Electronic Device Policy:
Laptops and tablets are allowed in class for note taking purposes ONLY. Use of any electronic device for
any other purpose will result in the immediate loss of your device use privileges, as well as a reduction
of your participation grade. If you wish to use any other electronic devices for note taking purposes,
such as recorders or cell phones, please speak to me beforehand. If these measures do not curtail use
of electronic devices for non-academic purposes I reserve the right to ban electronic devices for all
students during class.
Reading response assignments:
Readings each week will be drawn from the course online reading packet composed primarily of peer
reviewed articles and gray literature reports as well as from The Global Warming Reader (Bill McKibben,
ed. 2011. Penguin Books). Readings other than from The Global Warming Reader will be posted on
Google Drive.
For each week’s readings each student should submit::
1. A one to two page (double spaced) assessment of what you found particularly interesting or
confusing about this week’s readings. In general this document should address all of the
ENVS 106b page 3 of 8
assigned readings, though if you have only partially completed the readings I would prefer an
insightful response to the ones that you completed rather than an invented response to all.
2. As part of this document, identify key elements from the readings which you would like to see
addressed further in the next class. This is your opportunity to guide me on what might need
further explication.
3. Attempt to spell out principles or criteria from this week’s readings that you think should be
important in climate decision-making – i.e. that might form useful frames for your final paper—
and describe why these principles or criteria are important and how you envision they could be
used.
For full credit, reading responses must be submitted via email to us at the email addresses above by 7
pm Monday evening beginning with the Monday preceding the second class. No reading response
assignment is due for the first class . This deadline is to allow time to assess and incorporate the topics
people would like addressed in lectures.
Additional weekly assignments:
Beginning the second class there will be two types of additional assignments due as part of class. Each
week one student will be assigned to provide an update on the climate negotiations taking place this fall
culminating with the meeting in Paris beginning in December 2015. One or two other students will be
assigned to present to the class one of the week’s readings and lead a discussion of those readings.
Depending on the number of students in class, each student will receive each of these types of
assignments at least once; many students will receive one or the other of these assignments on two
occasions.
Papal Encyclical Assignment:
The Pope’s release of an encyclical addressing climate change in the summer of 2015 was a seminal
moment in in recent climate debates. To better understand the encyclical we will assign a portion of the
document for everyone in the class to read. In addition, Will and I will assign each student a reading of a
different reaction to the document representing diverse perspectives—e.g. conservative, liberal,
religious, scientific, etc. Each student will as part of the class discussion on that evening be expected to
express their reaction to the encyclical in the voice of their assigned respondent!! Grading will be based
strictly on class participation; do not miss this class (currently scheduled for November 10th)!
Final paper assignment:
Length 10-15 pages, double spaced, 12 point font, all references cited fully and consistently using the
Turabian author-date style http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html
or an alternative citation style with advance permission. Details of this assignment will follow, but will
include analyzing either the adaptation or mitigation aspects of a city action plan through the lens of
ongoing climate negotiations.
ENVS 106b page 4 of 8
Textbook:
In place of a text, we will be reading seminal papers addressing modern climate change science,
economics and policy. These are provided as pdf’s and posted to Google Drive, as well as selections from
The Global Warming Reader edited by Bill McKibben. This book is available from powells.com,
amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and other booksellers-- in both print and electronic formats. It is not
ordered through the university bookstore.
Class schedule:
Class
Date
Main lecture
Practicum
Readings and other assignments due (NOTE: Reading
response assignments are due by 7 pm of the Monday
preceding each class. They will be accepted for
reduced credit up at the professor’s discretion after
that. All other assignments are due at the beginning
of class.)
1
Sept. 1
Brainwriting
as a
technique:
Climate
impacts that
will affect you
in your
lifetime.
None
None
2
Sept. 8
Intro to climate.
What are
greenhouse
gasses and how
do they work.
Overview of
current
understanding
of climate
change Course
outline
Climate change
to date
Intro to
Climate
Wizard
Reading Packet:
-Class 2- National Climate
Assessment Highlights Intro45- The Global Warming Reader
(TGWR) 9-15, McKibben
-TGWR 44-53, Hansen
Reading
response A
Intro to
Climate
Wizard and
other
downscaling
and
forecasting
tools
Reading packet:
-Class 3-Rockstrom et alNature
-Class 3—American Institute of
Physics “General Circulation
Models of Climate”
http://www.aip.org/history/cli
mate/GCM.htm
Reading
response B
Sept. 15
3
Sept. 22
NO CLASS-Rosh Hashanah
Future climate
change
ENVS 106b page 5 of 8
-Class 3-Hansen et al- PlosONE
Sept.
29
4
Oct 6
5
Oct 13
6
Oct 20
NO CLASS—
Brandeis
Monday
Climate impacts
and
vulnerability
Vulnerability
and solutions
brainwriting
Reading packet:
-Class 4- NYSERDA-ClimAid
Chpater 2
-Class 4-Fussel-Sustainability
Science
-TGWR 292-298, McKibben (a
personal look at climate
change impact)
Reading
response C
Climate
mitigation
Developing
categories of
solutions
Reading packet:
-Class 5- Anderson and BowsPhilosophical Transactions of
the Royal Society (if you find
this reading challenging, you
may additionally want to listen
and view Dr. Anderson’s
lecture at:
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=yc5Rm2kSjFA)
-Class 5-Williams et al-Science
Optional reading
-Class 5-Pacala et al-Science
Reading
Response D
Climate impacts
on ecosystems
Intro to
Expert Choice
and analytic
hierarchy
processes
Reading Packet:
-Class 6-Garcia et al- Science
-Class 6-Impacts of Climate
Change on Biodiversity,
Ecosystems, and Ecosystem
Services: Technical Input
CHAPTERS 2 and 3 Only
- Class 6-Turner et al
Conservation Letters
-Class 6-Haas and Meixnercartoon powerpoint
OPTIONAL reading
-TGWR, 377-401 (The
darkening sea)
Reading
response E
ENVS 106b page 6 of 8
7
Oct 27
Extreme climate
change
Negotiations
practicum and
role play v1
Reading packet:
-Class 7-Sherwood and HuberPNAS
-Class 7-Lenton et al-PNAS
-Class 7- Hansen et al- Atmos.
Chem. Phys. Discussions (From
page 20060 through page
20087 and then from page
20119-20122) [These page
numbers are not typos]
Reading
response F
8
Novem
ber 3
Global and
national climate
policy and the
potential for
mitigation
action
Negotiations
practicum and
role play v2
Reading packet
-Class 8-Falkner et al-Global
Policy
-Class 8-Najam et al- Climate
Policy
-TGWR 126-132, Al Gore
Reading
response G
9
Nov 10
Economics of
climate change
Papal
Encyclical
exercise
Reading packet:
-Class 9-Stern-World
Economics
-Class 9-Weitzman-The Review
of Economics and Statistics
(sections to be determined)
-Class 9- Nordhaus- Bulletin go
the Atomic Scientists
-Class 9- Papal encyclical
(sections to be determined)
Reading
response H
Final paper
topic
paragraphs
due.
10
Nov 17
Climate
adaptation:
CBA, EBA, loss
and damage
Practicum on
Class 10-Jackson UK
Sustainable
Growth
Commisssion
Reading packet:
-Class 10-Eriksen et al-Climate
and Development
-Class 10- Turner et alConservation Letters
-Class 10- Preston et alSustainability
-Class 10-Jackson UK
Sustainable Growth
Commisssion (Selections to be
determined)
-TGWR 74-48, Oreskes
Reading
response I.
ENVS 106b page 7 of 8
11
Nov 24
Local and state
policies to
address climate
change, climate
hawks, climate
deniers
Guest lecture
Reading packet:
-Class 11-Leurs-Climate Change
-Class 11-Brulle-Climatic
change
-Class 11-Doney et al- Ann.
Rev. Marine Science.
12
Decem
ber 1
Communicating
climate change
Guest Lecture
13
Dec 8
Other
approaches to
climate action—
divestment,
geoengineering,
legal challenges
Presentation
of expert
choice work,
hopefully with
Brandeis’s
new
sustainability
coordinator to
attend
Reading packet:
-Class 12-Six-AmericasSeptember-2012
-Class 12-McKibben1-Rolling
Stone
-Class 12-McKibben2-Rolling
Stone
Reading packet:
-Class 13-Rayner et al-Climatic
Change
-Class 13-Inuit Circumpolar
Conference (THROUGH PAGE
20 ONLY)
-Class 13- Keller et al—Nature
Communications
Decem
ber 11
FINAL PAPER
DUE (NOT A
CLASS NIGHT
NOR WILL
CLASS BE HELD)
ENVS 106b page 8 of 8
Reading
response J
Optional:
Substantially
complete first
drafts of final
paper
accepted for
review and
feedback
Reading
response K
READING
RESPONSE L is
optional for
extra credit
The Final Paper is due via email by our usual
class time of 6:30 pm. Papers submitted later
than 6:35 pm will receive a penalty of one third
of one grade per day or portion thereof (that is
an A quality paper submitted at 6:40 pm on the
evening of December 11th will receive a grade of
A- instead.). Papers submitted later than 6:30
pm on Sunday December 13th will only be
accepted at the discretion of the instructor, and
the student may receive a zero on the
assignment. The timestamp of your email will
serve as our guide as to the timeliness of your
submission.