Earth System Science Colloquium: Global Warming
Course number: 11:015:401:01
Jim Miller, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences
IMCS Room 111D, 932-6555 ext. 545, miller@marine.rutgers.edu
Liz Sikes, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences
IMCS Room 114C, 932-6555 ext. 518, sikes@marine.rutgers.edu
Mia Cahill, mia@dennigancahilllaw.com
Class meets in Lipman House Thursdays
2:15- 5:15
For the whole story go to:
http://www.ecoclimax.com/
Article of the week: house Bars EPA from regulating industrial
emissions
... and the Senate moves to block it (click here for the pdf)
Interim Syllabus as of April 19, 2011
Grading
breakdown (click here for pdf)
Class Schedule
Jan.
20 Introduction and organization
What is Earth System
Science?
` In class reading: Preface from
One Earth, One Future: Our Changing Global
Environment National Academy of Sciences, 1990
(click
here for a pdf of the reading)
Jan.27 Readings : 1)
A Scientist, His Work and a Climate Reckoning (NY Times Dec 21 2010) (click here for a pdf of the
article)
2) Sea level Rise As Glaciers Melt (NY Times
Nov 11 2010) (click here for pdf of article)
Short Essay due: write a
one-page single spaced paper that makes direct links between your major field
of study and climate change
Discussion: assigned readings
and Impacts of Climate change
Feb. 3 Readings: 1) Chapter 1 from Storms of my Grandchildren,
by James Hansen.
(click here for a pdf of the reading)
2) Cold Jumps Arctic
‘Fence,’ Stoking Winter’s Fury (NY times Jan 25, 2011) (Click
here for pdf)
Lecture: Climate Change Overview (Jim Miller)
Class assignment: prepare
a list of three impacts and be prepared to discuss them.
Discussion I: Impacts
Discussion II: Team Projects
Feb. 10 Special Guest: Susan Solomon
Readings: 1) A discussion with Jim Hansen. (click here for a pdf transcript of the
conversation)
Go to the
book website for more
information about Jim Hansen and his book “Storms of my Grandchildren”
2) The recently released IPCC report “Summary for Policy makers”
(click here for the report)
or you can go
to the web site to see the full report:
Special Guest: Susan Solomon
Class assignment: Come to class prepared to talk about a
specific topic that you read in the IPCC report
Class assignment: Attend Susan Solomon’s lecture Thursday
6-8:30. Hand in a short essay on the
presentation and discussion for Credit
Discussion:
IPCC and scientific uncertainty
Feb
17 No Assigned Reading this week: your
assignment will require you find and report on sources you find.
Class
assignment: Due in class is
a single-spaced one page (or longer) essay on the following:
Using the IPCC report, or information you learned from Susan Solomon’s lecture and discussion, Pick an aspect that was “news” to you, and find more about it (independent research...). In choosing your topic, Please do not recycle well-trod topics from the class discussions. Please try to bring something “new” to your essay, and to class discussion next week
Discussion : Assignment of Team Projects (these will form a large part of your final assessment)
Feb
24 Reading: E. Kolbert, The
Darkening Sea, The New Yorker, Nov
20, 2006, pp 66-75
Lecture: Climate change and the
ocean (Liz Sikes)
Discussion:
The ocean’s influence and interaction with climate and green house gasses.
Ecological
issues associated with climate change.
Initial
presentations on team projects due. The “expert panels” will present ~10-15 minute talk on the topic assigned in
class next week.
Also due from each group: A one page (single space) write –up of your
topic – please list references!! We
expect you will have done some background research.
Topics: As decided in class. (click on the topics
to see the list from class)
Biology Chemistry Physics and
Physical Environment
Economics Social/Policy Land
Surface
Mar
3 Readings: 1) EPA the Prequel NYTimes (click here for a pdf of
the Feb 9 blog article)
2) EPA under scrutiny NYTimes (click here for a pdf of
the Feb 11 article)
3 ) The oral argument before the Supreme Court (click here for a pdf of the reading)
Please note the oral argument is long, so
read wisely.
You can also LISTEN to a recording of the oral arguments by going here: and clicking
on the Massachusetts vs EPA audio file.
Discussion: Legal understanding
of court challenges to environmental law (Mia Cahill)
Class assignment: Prepare
your group (developed undeveloped, US) solutions to greenhouse gasses/ global
warming.
Discussion I: Team Projects
Mar
10 Readings: 1) Front-Line City in Virginia Tackles Rise in Sea Level (click here for a pdf of the
article)
2)
On line resource/ Reading: Researchers Link Extreme Rains To Global Warming
(NPR)
go to http://www.npr.org/2011/02/16/133806402/researchers-link-extreme-rains-to-global-warming
Readings: 3) At
House E.P.A. Hearing, Both Sides Claim Science (NY Times) (click here for pdf of the article)
Discussion: Negotiations in
setting policies of climate change.
Class assignment: 1)
Bring in your 2050 and 2100 targets for CO2 levels in the atmosphere
and why
(justify you answer from several lines of evidence with references)
2) Bring in your answer to the 3
questions Mia Cahill proposed and be prepared to discuss them.
3) Your list of three counterpoints you would have had in the oral
arguments if you had been in the room, and be prepared to discuss them.
Mar 16 No Class Spring Break
Mar
24 Reading: Re-read E. Kolbert, The Darkening Sea, The New Yorker, Nov 20, 2006, pp 66-75
This week we are going to go
over the science in some detail.
Lecture/Discussion:
Climate change and the ocean
(Liz Sikes)
Lecture/Discussion: Greenhouse effect and Climate Change models
(Jim Miller)
Discussion: The science behind
the debate
Assignment due:
(none, enjoy the week off) In class assignment to be handed
in at the end of the class.
Project Discussion: Putting some realistic data into your
negotiating positions
Mar
31
Media, Policy, and the Climate Change debate
Readings: 1)
The supreme court official decision (click here for pdf)
Readings
2): Summary of the case and decision (click here for pdf)
Readings
3): National Research Council report on an effective response to Climate change
(click here for pdf).
Lecture: Negotiations and Policy
(Mia Cahill)
Assignment due: find 2 recent articles in the popular media
(last 5 years). One supporting or
documenting an aspect of climate change and one “anti” climate change.
AND:
Write a paragraph comparing and
contrasting the 2 articles. Use
information you have learned in class where appropriate.
Note: “anti” views can include advocating “business as usual”
strategies and advocate “no change” economic solutions to global change issues
Apr 7
Special Guest:
Joe Seneca
Special Lecture: the economics of climate
change
Reading:
Click here for the list of readings
for this week.
Discussion: Economics
Assignment due: Find a skeptic and find out why they are a
skeptic ... write it up and bring that to class.
Apr 14 From Diversity to Sustainability: feedbacks and the earth system
Reading 1) How Campus Ideology
Is Born (click here for pdf of article)
Readings 2): Scientists
Debate Gaia: The Next Century (P. 1-12) Schneider
et al. (click here for pdf)
PLEASE NOTE: this
is just the first two sections of the 3 that are in the on line reading... you don’t
need to read the third section.
Lecture: feedbacks (Jim Miller)
Assignments due:
1)
Write
one paragraph critiquing the sustainability article (reading #1).
2)
Write
1-2 paragraphs explaining Gaia incorporating what you learned from your
reading. Of you have heard of Gaia
before compare and contrast what you knew with what you now know.
Discussion: Feedbacks and sustainability.
Discussion:
team projects and negotiations.
Optional extra reading on
Economic policy: http://www.rff.org/RFF/Documents/RFF-DP-11-02.pdf
Apr
21 Discussion /summary session
Assignment:
In class quiz on previous readings and what you learned
April
26 – Written reports due... note this is not a class date – these may be
emailed to Jim and Liz
Apr
28 Presentation of team projects.
Click here for guidelines and requirements for
presentations written and oral
Course evaluations: please do these on
line before the last day of class.
_________________________________________________________________
Short presentations on articles found in the popular literature should be 3-5 minutes long. For the presentation, both summarize the article and put it into context by providing additional information or resources.
Reminder: 2-3 of these are required by each student by the end of the semester!
_____________________________________________________________
Suggested
outside seminars: Click here for the
up-to-date list.
Supplemental
information:
Geology.com had
a sealevel rise map have a look at: http:/geology.com/sea-level-rise/
NPR has a sea level
rise movie showing the effects on Florida: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121197147
NP a s
Picture
of the week archive
Feb
10 (click here)
Feb 17(click
here)
Feb
24 (click here)
March
9 video of Noam Chompsky Click
here to view the video clip.
April 7 (click here)