|
AOSC360: How to solve the climate
change problem?
Instructor: Prof. Ning Zeng Office hour:
TTh 6:15-7:15 (after class), drop by or by
appointment. |
| Lecture notes |
Course Objective
Climate change
is the greatest challenge humanity faces in the 21st century. Global
mean surface temperature has increased by 1.2C since the beginning of industrialization,
driven by fossil fuel burning and land use change. The Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change has proposed to limit global warming to within 1.5-2C, beyond
which many tipping points in the Earth system would be reached and cause
irreversible damages. This course will examine potential solutions to mitigate
climate change.
Students
will learn the basics of climate change, energy science, and carbon cycle.
Students will be engaged in evaluating the scientific, technological, and socioeconomic
constraints of possible solutions.
1)
Reduce
fossil fuel emissions
2)
Energy
efficiency
3)
Renewable
energy
4)
Carbon
removal and sequestration
5)
Geoengineering
6)
Socioeconomics
of climate change
7)
Adaptation
Course
Content
The
basic science behind the greenhouse effect. Climate change in Earth’s history
and global warming. Causes of human induced climate change: fossil fuel burning
and land use change. Impacts and vulnerability of climate change: tipping
points. The natural carbon cycle. Anthropogenic
disturbance to the global carbon cycle. Conventional energy sources: coal, oil,
gas, nuclear. Renewable energy sources: biomass, hydro, geothermal, solar,
wind. Carbon removal and sequestration and management of the carbon cycle in
the land, ocean and geological reservoirs and fluxes. Economics of climate
change. Geoengineering by solar radiation management. Mitigation vs.
adaptation. This is an I-series course and may be part of
the general education portion of your degree program.
Course
Topics and Modules
1. Basic science of climate change (2 weeks)
a.
Historical background
b.
Fundamental controls of Earth's
climate: energy balance
c.
Climatology: Global patterns of
wind, pressure, precipitation and temperature
d.
The Greenhouse effect
e.
Climate sensitivity and climate feedbacks
f.
Climate projection
g.
Impact and vulnerabilities, tipping
points in the Earth system
Assignment 1 (Group debate: How bad can it be? Is climate change an emergency now?)
Assignment 2: Reading a book chapter.
2.
The natural carbon cycle (2 weeks)
a.
The natural carbon cycle:
atmosphere, land, ocean, and rocks
b.
Carbon pools and fluxes, residence
time
c.
Carbon cycle and climate change in
Earth history: from Glacial-interglacial cycles to global warming
Assignment 3: Exercises on basic climate and carbon cycle
science
Exam1 (The science of climate and carbon cycle), closed-book, in class
3.
The anthropogenically altered carbon
cycle (1 week)
a.
Land Use: deforestation and regrowth
b.
The 'missing' (residual) carbon sink
on land
c.
Sinks in the ocean
d.
Closing the carbon budget
e.
Future carbon-climate feedback
Literature Review
4.
Energy sources and fossil fuel
emissions (2 weeks)
a.
Fossil fuel emissions
b.
Origin of coal, oil, gas
c.
van Krevelen
Diagram: transformation of biomass to fossil fuel
d.
Fossil fuel and energy use; Energy
vs carbon content
e.
Energy consumption, economics and CO2 emissions
f.
Carbon footprint
g.
Conventional energy sources: coal,
oil, gas, nuclear
Assignment
5.
Renewable sources (two weeks)
a.
Biomass, hydro, geothermal
b.
Solar, wind
c.
Nuclear
Assignment
Exam 2
6.
Carbon management, energy use and
options for the future (2 weeks)
a.
Carbon removal and sequestration
b.
Geoengineering: solar radiation management
Final Project presentation
Final Exam, closed-book
Note: This is
a tentative schedule, and subject to change as necessary – monitor the course
ELMS page for current deadlines. In the unlikely event of a prolonged
university closing, or an extended absence from the university, adjustments to
the course schedule, deadlines, and assignments will be made based on the
duration of the closing and the specific dates missed.
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing this
course students will be able to:
1)
Understand the scientific principles
and research methodologies associated with causes, impacts and possible
solutions of global climate change.
2)
Solve complex problems associated
with causes and solutions of climate change, including the greenhouse effect,
basics of energy sources, and carbon cycle, by integrating scientific concepts
from fields of physical, chemical, geological, and biological sciences.
3)
Analyze scientific questions
surrounding climate change in order to understand how
such questions influence and are shaped by geographic, economic, social and
political dimensions.
4)
Critically evaluate contemporary
debates surrounding global climate change including physical variability,
levels of human impact and the predictability of the two in
order to assess the scientific limits of national and intergovernmental
policy measures and reports.
5)
Use creative thinking skills to
postulate climate solutions and evaluate efficacy of proposed solutions.
6)
Identify and access primary source
material used by professionals in global climate change.
Text Book (Required)
· Bending the Curve: Climate Change Solutions, Digital
Textbook. Ramanathan, V.; Aines, Roger; Auffhammer, Max; et al.; 2019. ISBN 978-0-578-50847-4. Free
download at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kr8p5rq.
· Note: This book provides a background reading and a
framework of learning. Lectures and class exercises will go to greater
quantitative depth in the following areas: 1) Basic climate change science, 2)
Fossil fuel and renewable energy sources, 3) Carbon cycle and management. Some
of this material can be found in the reference books below. This will further
be supplemented by lecture notes.
Reference Books
· Biogeochemical Cycles and Climate, by Han Dolman, Oxford
University Press; Reprint edition (October 24, 2021), 272 pages, ISBN-10
0192845268, ISBN-13 978-019284526
· The Earth System, Third Edition, Lee Kump,
James Kasting and Robert Crane. 2009.
· Earth's Climate: Past and Future, Third Edition, William Ruddiman, 2013
· Energy Transitions:
Global and National Perspectives, 2nd Edition. Vaclav Smil, 2017.
ISBN-10:144085324X, ISBN-13: 9781440853241, ABC-CLIO, Incorporated.
· How to avoid a climate
disaster: the solutions we have and the breakthroughs we need.
Bill Gates, 2021.
Required Resources
1)
Course Website:
http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~zeng/AOSC360
2)
Access to Google Drive through links
provided during lecture.
3)
ELMS course pages. This is where you
will find course content, including content developed in class, readings,
weekly assignments, and grade assessments.
4)
The instructor often will modify
lecture, so be sure to check the class website right before lecture begins.
5)
Content and additional material may
be added shortly after class.
Course
Guidelines
Communication
with Instructor:
Email, ELMS, office hour, stop by my office, or
by appointment.
Communication
with Peers:
With a diversity of perspectives and
experience, we may find ourselves in disagreement and/or debate with one
another. As such, it is important that we agree to conduct ourselves in a
professional manner and that we work together to foster and preserve a
classroom environment in which we can respectfully discuss and deliberate
controversial questions. Any behavior (including harassment, sexual harassment,
and racially and/or culturally derogatory language) that threatens this
atmosphere will not be tolerated. Please alert me immediately if you feel
threatened, dismissed, or silenced at any point during our semester together
and/or if your engagement in discussion has been in some way hindered by the
learning environment.
Attendance:
You
are expected to attend lectures and complete your assignments on time. The
University of Maryland attendance policy allows for you to self-excuse yourself
from ONE lecture or discussion session. For this course, if you miss lecture
class participation due to illness and provide a self-written note, you will be
permitted to drop those points. For any additional absences due to illness, you
will not be afforded a makeup opportunity unless you provide documentation from
a medical professional. Self-written notes cannot excuse you from exams. Any
adjustments to exams will follow UMD absence policies. https://www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html
Late
Policy:
If
an assignment is one day late, only 90% of the points can be earned. If it is
two days late, only 80% of the points can be earned. At three days late, only
70% of the points can be earned. Assignments will not be accepted more than
three days late. No late final projects will be accepted for grading. If you
cannot complete the assignment on time and need an extension, please email me
before the due date. I understand that life happens, and due dates cannot be
met all the time. If possible, I can grant an extension accordingly. Extensions
for exams are not possible without appropriate documentation.
Participation
· Given the interactive
style of this class, attendance will be crucial to note-taking and thus your performance
in this class. Attendance is particularly important also because class
discussion will be a critical component for your learning.
· Each student is
expected to make substantive contributions to the learning experience, and
attendance is expected for every session.
· Students with a
legitimate reason to miss a session should communicate in advance with the
instructor, except in the case of an emergency.
· Students who miss a
session are responsible for learning what they miss from that day.
Grading Method
Students will be evaluated based on
participation (10%), Assignments (30%), Exams (30%), and a final team project
(30%).
Final
letter grades
are assigned based on the percentage of total assessment points earned.
|
A+ 97.00% |
B+ 87.00% |
C+ 77.00% |
D+ 67.00% |
|
|
A 93.00% |
B 83.00% |
C 73.00% |
D 63.00% |
F <60.0% |
|
A- 90.00% |
B- 80.00% |
C- 70.00% |
D- 60.00% |
|
Policies
and Resources for Undergraduate Courses
It
is our shared responsibility to know and abide by the University of Maryland’s
policies that relate to all courses, which include topics like:
· Academic integrity
· Student and instructor
conduct
· Accessibility and
accommodations
· Attendance and excused
absences
· Grades and appeals
· Copyright and
intellectual property
Please
visit www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html for the Office of
Undergraduate Studies’ full list of campus-wide policies and follow up with me
if you have questions.
Neither
audio nor video recording are permitted except under special circumstances
prescribed by DSS. You are not allowed to use a device to record pictures,
transcripts, or video without expressed consent of the instructor.
Academic
Integrity
The University's
Code of Academic Integrity is designed to ensure that the principles of
academic honesty and integrity are upheld. In accordance with this code, the
University of Maryland does not tolerate academic dishonesty. Please ensure
that you fully understand this code and its implications because all acts of
academic dishonesty will be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of
this code. All students are expected to adhere to this Code. It is your
responsibility to read it and know what it says, so you can start your
professional life on the right path. As future professionals, your commitment
to high ethical standards and honesty begins with your time at the University
of Maryland. It is important to note that course assistance websites, such as CourseHero, are not permitted sources, unless the
instructor explicitly gives permission for you to use one of these sites.
Material taken or copied from these sites can be deemed unauthorized material
and a violation of academic integrity. These sites offer information that might
not be accurate and that shortcut the learning process, particularly the
critical thinking steps necessary for college-level assignments. Additionally,
students may naturally choose to use online forums for course-wide discussions
(e.g., Group lists or chats) to discuss concepts in the course. However,
collaboration on graded assignments is strictly prohibited unless otherwise
stated. Examples of prohibited collaboration include asking classmates for
answers on quizzes or exams, asking for access codes to clicker polls, etc.
Please visit the Office of Undergraduate Studies’ full list of campus-wide
policies and reach out if you have questions. Credible sources, identified in
the first module of the course and those linked within the course ELMS page,
are acceptable sources for the course and are allowed to be used on specific
assignments. All sources must be cited as explained in the first homework
assignment. Failure to do so may result in an academic integrity violation.
Finally, on
each exam you must type out the following pledge:
"I
pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized
assistance on this exam."
If you ever
feel pressured to comply with someone else’s academic integrity violation,
please reach out to me straight away. Also, if you are ever unclear about
acceptable levels of collaboration, please ask! To help you avoid unintentional
violations, the following table lists levels of collaboration that are
acceptable:
Resources
& Accommodations
Accessibility
and Disability Services The University of Maryland is committed to
creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive educational, working, and
living environment for people of all abilities. The University of Maryland is
also committed to the principle that no qualified individual with a disability
shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation
in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of the
University, or be subjected to discrimination. The Accessibility &
Disability Service (ADS) provides reasonable accommodations to qualified
individuals to provide equal access to services, programs
and activities. ADS cannot assist retroactively, so it is generally best to
request accommodations several weeks before the semester begins or as soon as a
disability becomes known. Any student who needs accommodations should contact
me as soon as possible so that I have sufficient time to make
arrangements. For assistance in obtaining an accommodation,
contact Accessibility and Disability Service at 301-314-7682, or email them at
adsfrontdesk@umd.edu. Information about sharing your accommodations with
instructors, note taking assistance and more is available from the Counseling
Center.
Names/Pronouns
and Self-Identifications The University of Maryland
recognizes the importance of a diverse student body, and we are committed to fostering
inclusive and equitable classroom environments. I invite you, if you wish, to
tell us how you want to be referred to in this class, both in terms of your
name and your pronouns. Additionally, it is your choice whether to disclose how
you identify in terms of your gender, race, class, sexuality, religion, and
dis/ability, among all aspects of your identity (e.g., should it come up in
classroom conversation about our experiences and perspectives) and should be
self-identified, not presumed or imposed. I will do my best to address and
refer to all students accordingly, and I ask you to do the same for all of your fellow Terps.
Student
Resources and Services Taking personal responsibility for your own learning means
acknowledging when your performance does not match your goals and doing
something about it. I hope you will come talk to me so that I can help you find
the right approach to success in this course, and I encourage you to visit
UMD’s Student Academic Support Services website to learn more about the wide
range of campus resources available to you. In particular,
everyone can use some help sharpening their communication skills (and
improving their grade) by visiting UMD’s Writing Center and schedule an
appointment with the campus Writing Center. You should also know there are a
wide range of resources to support you with whatever you might need (UMD’s Student
Resources and Services website may help). If you feel it would be helpful to
have someone to talk to, visit UMD’s Counseling Center or one of the many other
mental health resources on campus.
Basic Needs
Security If
you have difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat
every day, or lack a safe and stable place to live, please visit UMD’s Division
of Student Affairs website for information about resources the campus offers
you and let me know if I can help in any way.
Veteran
Resources UMD
provides some additional supports to our student veterans. You can access those
resources at the office of Veteran Student life and the Counseling Center.
Veterans and active duty military personnel with
special circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill requirements,
disabilities) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if
possible, to the instructor.
Course
Evaluation
Please submit
a course evaluation through Student Feedback on Course Experiences in order to help faculty and administrators improve teaching
and learning at Maryland. All information submitted to Course Experiences is confidential.
Campus will notify you when Student Feedback on Course Experiences is open for
you to complete your evaluations at the end of the semester. Please go directly
to the Student Feedback on Course Experiences to complete your evaluations.
Copyright
Notice
Course
materials are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or posted in any online
format for anything other than personal use without written permission.