Course Syllabus
Understanding Climate Change |
| Semester & Location: |
Fall 2025 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
Environmental Studies, Sustainability |
| Prerequisite(s): |
None |
| Faculty Members: |
Sebastian F.J. Zastruzny (current students please use the Canvas Inbox) |
| Time & Place: |
Classroom F24-206 | Mondays and Thursdays 11:40-13:00 |
| Volunteer Opportunities That Align With This Course: |
Students often want to volunteer as part of their time in Copenhagen. Below are some opportunities that might align with your course content. These are curated by the Academics Department, and not your faculty, so please reach out to mne@dis.dk if you have questions.
Cafe Mellemrummet by ActionAid About the Space & Opportunity: Mellemrummet is not your average café. It’s an open, inclusive community space, run by a diverse group of volunteers. Whether you’re passionate about climate activism, decolonial struggles, gender equality, or simply want to meet likeminded people, this is a space where you can engage, learn, and contribute. As a volunteer at Mellemrummet, you become part of an international and activist-minded community. You’ll be trained to work café shifts (minimum 3 x 4-hour shifts per month), and have the opportunity to join or create events, contribute to communication, or support ongoing projects. Contact Information If interested please reach out here, and include that you are a DIS student here for the semester or year. https://www.ms.dk/en/mellemrummet/volunteer
|
Course Description
Climate change is one of the most important and discussed topics of our times. Understanding the science behind it, the expected changes and the potential implications is crucial when contributing to the public debate.
This course we will begin with a holistic approach at understanding the climate system, before highlighting different parts of the climate system, such as the energy balance, the hydrological cycle and the carbon balance, and a brief introduction to the toolbox, explaining how we measure weather and how we simulate the climate.
We will continue to learn how the reports of the international panel for climate change (IPCC) are written, what the reports are convening and how the global community receives them. We take a dive into different points of view of climate scientists, activists, critics and deniers, to develop the skill to proficiently act in the debate.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the core concepts of Earth’s processes, such as the energy balance, the hydrological cycle and the carbon balance.
- Discuss the quality of climate proxies, historic data series, and the uncertainty of model simulations.
- Analyze the language, processes and structure of the IPCC reports.
- Understand the causes and impacts of climate change, as well as the options for mitigation and adaptation.
- Evaluate different viewpoints and be able to argue with a solid scientific basis.
- Create arguments in both oral, and written form, to explain the concept of climate change.
- Experience real work implementations of climate adaption and mitigation.
Faculty
Sebastian Zastruzny
PhD (Geography-Geosciences, University of Copenhagen). Educated in permafrost dynamics at the Centre for Permafrost, IGN. Research on permafrost cores, water samples, climate data series, process based modelling, and effects of future climate change. Conducted fieldwork and taught field courses in Greenland and Denmark multiple times.
Readings
William F. Ruddiman: Earth’s Climate Past and Future, 3rd edition, 2013 (EC)
- Components of the Climate System p8-10
- Climate Forcing / Responses / Time/ Rates p10-17
- Incoming Solar Radiation p20-21
- Receipt and Storage of Solar Heat p21-28
- Earths Biosphere p48-51
- Climate Archives, Dating, and Resolution p56-69
- Climate Models p69-76
- Carbon Exchange between.... p84 – 91
- Box 4.1 the Organic Carbon subcycle
- Rock Exposure and ... p113-119
- Climate and Human Evolution p318-332
Scientific publications and other texts;
Brander, M., & Davis, G. (2012). Greenhouse gases, CO2, CO2e, and carbon: What do all these terms mean. Econometrica, White Papers.
Dearing, J. A. (2006). Climate-human-environment interactions: resolving our past. Climate of the Past, 2(2), 187-203.
Edwards, P. N. (2011). History of climate modeling. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 2(1), 128-139.
Grimsson, O. R. (2011). Climate Change and New Security Challenges. In Climate: Global Change and Local Adaptation (pp. 3-8). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
Hansen, J. E., Sato, M., Simons, L., Nazarenko, L. S., Sangha, I., Kharecha, P., ... & Li, J. (2023). Global warming in the pipeline. Oxford Open Climate Change, 3(1), kgad008.
Hulme, M. (2017). Climate change, concept of. International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment and Technology, 1-6.
IPCC, 2023: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report.
Kotz, M., Levermann, A. & Wenz, L. The economic commitment of climate change. Nature 628, 551–557 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07219-0
Lomborg, B. (2020). Welfare in the 21st century: Increasing development, reducing inequality, the impact of climate change, and the cost of climate policies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 156, 119981.
Raworth, K. (2017). A Doughnut for the Anthropocene: humanity's compass in the 21st century. The lancet planetary health, 1(2), e48-e49.
Refsgaard, J. C., & Henriksen, H. J. (2004). Modelling guidelines––terminology and guiding principles. Advances in Water Resources, 27(1), 71-82.
Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, Å., Chapin, F. S., Lambin, E. F., ... & Foley, J. A. (2009). A safe operating space for humanity. nature, 461(7263), 472-475.
Schneider, S. H., & Lane, J. (2006). An overview of ‘dangerous’ climate change. Avoiding dangerous climate change, 7(11).
WMO. (2022). State of the global climate 2021. - Extreme Events
WMO. (2022). State of the global climate 2021. - Socioeconomic Impacts
Xu, C., Kohler, T. A., Lenton, T. M., Svenning, J. C., & Scheffer, M. (2020). Future of the human climate niche. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(21), 11350-11355.
IPCC Reports (selected parts and figures)
IPCC, 2021: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change[Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S.L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M.I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J.B.R. Matthews, T.K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu, and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, In press, doi:10.1017/9781009157896.
IPCC, 2022: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, 3056 pp., doi:10.1017/9781009325844.
IPCC, 2022: Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [P.R. Shukla, J. Skea, R. Slade, A. Al Khourdajie, R. van Diemen, D. McCollum, M. Pathak, S. Some, P. Vyas, R. Fradera, M. Belkacemi, A. Hasija, G. Lisboa, S. Luz, J. Malley, (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA. doi: 10.1017/9781009157926
Field Studies
Preliminary plans for field study days (not confirmed):
City walk around Copenhagen to experience climate adaption projects in the urban environment.
Visit of the UN City in Copenhagen to meet people working at the UN environment protection program (UNEP).
Approach to Teaching
The course utilizes a mixture of different teaching concepts, beginning with interactive lectures where core concepts are explained and consecutively applied in exercises and assignments. Once a basic understanding of a subject is achieved, the didactic environment is expanded to more participatory approaches, giving the students the agency to explore various topics.
In later seminars, group work, presentations, and simulations are employed to allow for interaction with peers, and anchor the acquired knowledge on a solid foundation.
DIS Accommodations Statement
Your learning experience in this class is important to me. If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter within two weeks from the start of classes. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support acadsupp@dis.dk.
Expectations of the Students
Active participation in the class activities, contributing to exercises and discussions, as well as engagement in online forums and assignments.
Evaluation
To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work. The overall grade will come from the following:
Grading:
10%: Conference Poster: THe IPCC Special Reports
In class activity where each student prepares a poster about a preselected topic. The assignment includes the studying of a report, the design of a poster and the ability to explain the contents.
40%: Simulation of a panel debate
In class we will simulate a panel debate between different stakeholders that is based on prepared arguments . Groups will elect a spokesperson that talks on behalf of the group and explain their position.
The activity will be graded based on active participation, and the inclusion of arguments from the reports.
30%: 3 online quizzes during the semester
Multiple choice questions and short text questions covering the topics covered in class. Each of the tests will be announced at least a week in advance and can completed within three days at any location.
20%: Participation
We expect and encourage active participation in class, on the field trips, and in online activities. Active participation consists of...
- being a part of the discussions by asking/answering
- contributing to group work
- working on the assignments/exercises
- presenting results in class
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|