Module description
This module begins by exploring palaeoclimate processes, links between climate and culture and how we use past analogues to constrain future trajectories. We then explore the state-of-the-art theory around current trends and climate models and how we use their outputs and quantify sources of uncertainty to best inform policy and mitigation. The final portion of the module considers future climate change, extreme events and impacts on people and society, including within the context of climate justice. Topics covered in the lectures and practical sessions include:
This module will be of particular interest to students interested in global climate change, the myriad sources of climate data and their potential applications and how projections are developed.
Students will develop relevant skills for careers in environmental consultancy, NGOs or government organisations dealing with environmental issues, especially focussed on climate change.
Assessment details
2 x coursework assessments (50% each): one 1300 word Report and one 1300 word Briefing
Educational aims & objectives
This module will critically review the nature and drivers of global climate change over a range of timescales: geological, recent past, present day and future scenarios. Students will acquire in-depth exposure to theory and techniques, leading to a better understanding of the causes and consequences of global climate change in isolation and as a whole. We will consider the nature and drivers of global climate across multiple temporal and spatial scales as well as interactions between climate and culture. We will explore how palaeoclimate provides insights into understanding recent and future climate change, the cutting-edge tools used by climate scientists, sources of uncertainty within climate datasets, and predictions of future climate extremes. We will also consider impacts such as heat on human health as well as the intersection of climate justice with energy.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
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Assess the major drivers of global climate change and variability across geological, historical, contemporary, and future timescales.
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Analyse and interpret palaeoclimate evidence to reconstruct past climate change and consider how palaeoclimate records can inform understanding of recent and future change.
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Describe and evaluate the evidence for current climate change, including the application of climate science tools such as climate models, detection and attribution approaches, and large climate datasets.
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Evaluate future climate projections and the methods used to generate them (including climate models), taking into account uncertainty and natural variability.
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Examine topical debates on climate–society interactions, including human habitability, energy transitions, and the wider societal implications of climate change.
Teaching pattern
9 x 2-hour lectures and 1 x 2-hour practical class