This course will survey both scientific and policy issues associated with climate change. We will begin by surveying important factors governing the Earth's climate including solar and terrestrial radiative equilibrium and ocean heat storage and transport. Next, we will discuss the several perturbations or "forcings" that industrial society has imposed on Earth's climate: changes in greenhouse gas concentrations, ozone, and aerosols. The course will examine how complex climate feedbacks lead to significant uncertainty regarding the response of the Earth to these forcings. Decision-making strategies that policy makers can use to deal with these uncertainties will be discussed. We will outline major impacts of climate change on society as well as natural systems and strategies for mitigating climate change.
