Focusing on climate change, the course will emphasize the interconnection of scales between the global and local environmental impacts with a focus on New York City. The science learning objectives include skill development in quantitative reasoning in areas such as graphing, unit conversion, exponential and logarithmic functions, elementary statistics, etc..Research learning objectives include posing researchable questions, literature search, hypothesis building, data collection, data analysis and publication skills.
Scientific concepts will be introduced that will enable students to analyze current environmental information from first principles. Perceived impact of environmental stresses requires tools for prediction of impacts. The recommended book will be used as a “ cover to cover reading ” in the beginning of the course. It will be used as background that illustrates global environmental impact through investigation of the scientific, social, economic and political issues related to climate change. The class-work will focus on the science of climate change, the methodologies to predict future impact and the correlations between economic development and environmental impact. The correlation will be formulated in terms of the IPAT equation that relates environmental impact (I) to population growth (P), growth in affluence as measured by GDP/Capita (A) and technological terms (T) that correlate between the GDP and the environmental impact. Future projections all indicate that unless major changes are introduced in the development path of emerging economies, global economic development will result in unsustainable environmental consequences.
The class will begin with an assignment to gather the necessary information needed to evaluate students energy audit and carbon footprints and compare the results with averages on class, city,country and global scales.
The course offers the opportunity for students to gain exposure to disciplines from the physical sciences and the social sciences and apply their knowledge to processes that govern the natural environment and the impact of human activities on environmental quality. We will address a broad range of topics, from geology to thermodynamics, from environmental risk analysis to environmental justice. We will develop, over the course of the semester, the connections between population growth, energy use, economic development and the environment, on local, regional and global scales.
The research projects will focus on NYC efforts at adaptation to climate change. Students will scan the record of selected city departments and interview the personnel to compare published methodologies to adapt to the projected impact of climate change with the reality on the ground. The efforts will be anchored on PlanNYC30 documentation, guest speakers with decision making responsibilities (past or present) and other primary information sources and on-ground research. Every project will include appropriate comparison with national and global efforts with specific emphasis on the difficulties of adaptation in developing countries. The local and global environmental justice aspects of adaptation will be emphasized.
The course grade will be based on class projects (40%), Final exam (30%) and class participation (30%) that will include some take-home projects and follow-up of on current events.
