Course: Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation (3005-421)

Persons:

• Christian Bugge Henriksen (verantwortlich)

Type of Course:

e-learning

In-Class Hours Per Week:

10

Contents:

Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation is an interdisciplinary E-learning course offered by the University of Copenhagen in close cooperation with the Danish Meteorological Institute, UC Berkeley and Australian National University.

Through distance learning it is available everywhere, and it is open for MSc students and continuing education students with a relevant BSc background in natural science, social science and economics.

The focus of the course is climate change impacts and the human response to climate change, including efforts to adapt to climate change, as well as efforts to avoid or reduce the negative impacts of climate change. Using the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report as the main reference together with recent complementary and contrasting findings, the relevant managerial and economic tools are applied to analyse and discuss the different aspects of climate change.

The course is divided in four main parts. In the first part of the course the E-learning platform is introduced and a basic understanding of the physical science of climate change is given, together with a brief introduction to the ongoing climate change debate. Natural and anthropogenic drivers, and direct observations of recent climate change are presented. Different climate change models and scenarios are presented and discussed in relation to future climate change projections.

In the second part of the course the impacts of climate change and potential adaptation strategies in different sectors are presented. After a short introduction to adaptive managemen and adaptive capacity, the climate change impacts and adaptation practices for ecosystems, land use, water resources, society and human health are presented and discussed in relation to both options, constraints, costs and benefits.

The third part of the course deals with different climate change mitigation strategies. First, a number of strategies are presented, including carbon sequestration, transition to carbon neutral energy sources, geo-engineering as well as measures to increase energy efficiency. Afterwards, it is analyzed and discussed which of the strategies for climate change mitigation are the most effective and cost-effective, both on a global scale and in various regions of the world.

In the fourth and final part of the course the focus is climate change policy and social change. First, the current status of international climate change negotiations is discussed. Afterwards, the regulatory instruments that may be applied to achieve climate change policy goals are presented. Finally, the course ends with a discussion of the need for voluntary agreements and social change in order to reduce the negative impacts of climate change.

Literature:

Course material consists of selected texts as well as audio and video files, which will be made available on the course pages at absalon.ku.dk.

Location:

-siehe Freitext

Remarks:

For more detailed information about the course see: www.climate-change.dk

Module:

• 3005-420 Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation (compulsory)