The extension module is aimed at MSc students with a genuine interest in climate science and related topics for their future career in and outside academia. As such it provides an interdisciplinary overview of core concepts and elements of climate change to introduce participants to its multi-faceted and complex nature, and to enhance their ability for interdisciplinary discourse going forward. The module encompasses elements from the physical basics to the economics of mitigating climate change, from sectoral impacts and adaptation to the climate policy landscape.
In covering the interdisciplinary aspects of climate science, the module will draw on the products of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and in particular its recent Sixth Assessment Reports of the Working Group I-III. The IPCC reports will be supplemented by additional literature as applicable. The lecturer will provide literature links through the moodle.
The module will be held in three three-day blocks plus an additional preparatory meeting. It will be set out in 4h blocks including two presentations, one by the lecturer and one by a participant. The participants can choose a topic of their interest from the list provided below on which they will prepare a 60min presentation plus questions. Background literature will be provided by the lecturer. Depending on the number of participants, each participant is required to give either one presentation and submit a seminar paper on the same topic.
Background on the lecturer
Prof. Dr. Carl-Friedrich Schleußner is an Honorary Professor at the Department of Geography and a research group leader at the Humboldt University IRI-THESys cluster. Carl-Friedrich Schleußner is also a team leader at the Berlin-based science policy institute Climate Analytics and works as a scientific advisor to small island states.
Block 1 The climatological basics of climate change
Session 1 Introduction (2h)
History of Climate Science, the IPCC and key concepts like the temperature and net zero goals
Session 2 Core concepts of climate science (6h)
Greenhouse gases and global warming potentials
Earth System feedbacks, the global carbon cycle and the climate response
Irreversible impacts and tipping points
Session 3 Climate models (4h)
Climate models across scales
Navigating the climate scenario landscape
Session 4 Carbon budgets and negative emissions (4h)
Carbon budgets from global to regional/national
Carbon dioxide removal and negative emissions
Block 2 Climate Impacts
Session 1 Extreme weather events (4h)
Extreme weather events
Compound extreme events
Session 2 Impacts on Land (4h)
Climate impacts on land including land degradation and desertification, biosphere and agriculture
Changes to the hydrological cycle including extremes
Session 3 Impacts on health and the economy(4h)
Impacts on human health
Economic impacts across regions and sectors including Labour Productivity
Session 4 Impacts on Ocean and Cryosphere (4h)
Cryospheric changes and global sea level rise
Oceanic impacts, regional sea level rise, climate impacts on ocean ecosystems
Block 3 Climate change mitigation and sustainable development
Session 1 Approaches to socio-economic modelling
Integrated Assessment models (IAMs)
Characteristics of emission pathways to achieve the Paris Agreement goals
Session 2 The shared socio-economic pathways (4h)
Models of human capital for sustainability research
Sustainability dimensions and climate interlinkages
Session 3 Socio-economic development and adaptation (4h)
Adaptation, Adaptive capacity, Limits and Barriers
Loss and Damage
Session 4 Implications for global and national action (4h)
Equity and justice in the climate discourse
Climate finance |
