Interdisciplinary Program, (IN)
 
IN00.41 : Climate Change Challenges and Responses  1(1-0)
 
Course objectives:

The objective of this course is to provide a wide-ranging contemporary debates and progresses linked with climate change for enhancing students’ knowledge base and critical thinking in their respective field of profession.
 
Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this course, the students will be able to:

  • Describe the contemporary and relevant climate change issues
  • Discuss the impact and vulnerability associated with climate change
  • Analyze available mitigation and adaptation options
  • Explain the required enabling environment (climate finance, policies) for addressing climate change issues
 
Pre-requisite(s):

None.
 
Course Outline:

I. Overview of climate change

1. Climate change: past, present, and future
2. Causes of Climate change, Impacts Vulnerability
3. Climate change science and Climate skeptics

II. Climate change challenges

1. Climate nexus in the context of SDGs
2. Economics of climate change: Costs and benefits of climate actions and nonactions
3. Decision making under risk and uncertainty of climate change

III. Responses to climate change

1. Global and national agreements/initiatives in climate change mitigation and adaptation
2. Deep-decarbonization options and pathways
3. Climate change adaptation options
4. Enabling climate actions: technology transfer, finance, and capacity building
5. Climate policy and societal response
 
Laboratory Sessions:

None.
 
Learning Resources:

Textbook:

No designated textbook, but class notes and handouts will be provided.
 
Reference Books:

1. J.T. Hardy, Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions, John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 2003.
2. D. L. Downie, K. Brash and C. Vaughan; Climate Change: A Reference Handbook, ABC-CLIO, INC., 2009.
3. W-Y. Chen, J. Seiner, T. Suzuki, and M. Lackner; Handbook of Climate Change Mitigation, Springer, 2012.
4. Walter Leal Filho (Ed), Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation, Springer, 2015.
5. V. Anbumozhi, M. Kawai, B.N. Lohani (Eds.), Managing the Transition to a Lowcarbon Economy: Perspectives, Policies, and Practices from Asia. Asian Development Bank, 2015.
 
Journals and Magazines:

1. Nature Climate Change, Nature Publishing Group
2. Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science
3. Global Environmental Change, Elsevier
4. Current Climate Change Reports, Springer
5. Climate Change, Springer
6. Carbon Management, Taylor and Francis
7. International Journal of Climate Change, Emerald
8. Climate Dynamics, Springer
9. Climate Change Responses, Springer
10. International Journal of Climatology, Wiley
11. Journal of Climate, American Meteorological Society
12. Natural Hazards, Springer

Others:
The following sites have updated news, and information on contemporary issues.

1. R. S. Wang and J. D. Bean (Eds), Asia’s Response to Climate Change and Natural Disasters, CSIS, 2010.
2. International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), www.ipcc.ch, especially IPCC AR5 Synthesis Report, and 1.5 Degree Report
3. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), www.unfccc.int
4. Skeptical Science, https://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php
5. Stop Climate Change, www.ourvoices.net
6. Climate Change Resource Center, www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc
7. Center for Climate Change, Economics and Policy, www.cccep.ac.uk
8. Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research, www.4cmr.group.cam.ac.uk
9. International Centre for Climate Change and Development, http://www.icccad.net/
10. Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law, http://web.law.columbia.edu/climate-change
 
Time Distribution and Study Load:

Lectures: 15 hours
Self-Study and assignments: 45 hours
 
Teaching and Learning Methods:

The course will be delivered by both internal and external resource persons. The students will be encouraged to participate in class discussion to enhance interactive learning and in addition students will develop their capacity to work in an interdisciplinary team through group projects.
 
Evaluation Scheme:

The mid-semester and final exam, both closed books with 30% weightage for each. A group project to enhance multi-disciplinary working will be of 30%, and participation/interaction will be of 10%.
Grade “A” will be awarded if a student can demonstrate thorough knowledge and mastery of concepts, techniques and understanding of subject matter with high degree of skill to relate in their own field,

Grade “B” if a student can demonstrate good knowledge and mastery of concepts and understanding of subject matter with good skill at medium level,

Grade “C” if a student can demonstrate some knowledge of the concepts and understanding but lacks skill
but is inadequate, and Grade “D” if a student have poor understanding of concepts and techniques with no or little skill but is deficient.
 
Instructor(s):
SECTION NAME
A Prof. Shobhakar Dhakal , Dr. Bindu Nath Lohani , Prof. Rajendra Prasad Shrestha