94133 - SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND CLIMATE ACTIONS

Learning outcomes

Students will learn what knowledge is needed to identify solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation. They will learn how climate change can be mitigated, how adaptation may be carried out and how mitigation and adaptation interact each other. Students will learn what we know and what we still do not know about climate and climate change. They will also know what contribution they can give to resolve the climate challenge in both their roles of citizens and experts. The involved disciplines are: climate dynamics, climate analysis and modelling, geo-environmental sciences and water cycle, climate engineering and environmental engineering. The approach will be interdisciplinary with the aim to move to transdisciplinarity, namely, by setting the basis for an innovative scientific and technical approach.

Course contents

The course will deliver interdisciplinary information on the following topics:

• Climate history: observed data, proxy data, climatic variability (glaciations, solar activity, climate cycles).

• Advanced techniques for environmental monitoring.

• Climate physics and modeling.

• Modeling of climate related processes: water cycle and natural hazards.

• Environmental economics.

• Solutions for climate change mitigation.

• Solutions for climate change adaptation.

• Climate analysis with open data and open software.

Readings/Bibliography

Supporting documents will be distributed in the form of open access scientific papers.

Teaching methods

Teaching methods will include frontal lectures, exercises, and interactive discussions.

Assessment methods

There will not be interim assessment. The final assessment will be made through an online quiz. Grades will be assigned out of 30.

Teaching tools

Lectures will be delivered with the physical presence of the teacher and will also be made available via online streaming.

Office hours

See the website of Alberto Montanari