Technical Industria Political or Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change
Climate change isn’t just an environmental science issue, and it isn’t just a political issue. The integrity of the climate system affects everyone and everything on the planet. Write a normal length post discussing the technical, industrial, political, or ethical dimensions of climate change and our response (or lack thereof). How did we get in this position? How can we change it? What prevents us from realizing the changes we need to see? What responsibilities fall on governments, businesses, communities, and individuals to contribute to these solutions? Given what we’ve learned about other major engineering disasters, what strategies would you recommend going forward?
Be sure to give special consideration to the potential for engineering projects that attempt to intervene on geosystems at global scales to counteract the effects of climate change. When, if ever, are geoengineering techniques warranted? How do we manage the risks?
Required readings:
- Baez: Temperature
- Lawhead: Climate Change by Design (Prezi)
- climate.nasa.gov
Optional:
- Robock: Is geoengineering research ethical?
- Bloomberg: What’s really warming the world?
- Rosen: Biosequestration
- Climate Change Calculator
- XKCD: Earth’s Temperature History