VAST 290

Climate Change: The Facts, the Issues, and the Long-Term View

Instructor: Timothy Cook

Office: 113 Van Wickle

Office Phone: (610) 330 5199

Email: cookt@lafayette.edu

This course may be used as an elective for the Environmental Science minor.
One weekend field trip is required.
 

Course Description:  Members of the scientific community have considered the potential threat of human induced climate change for decades, yet only recently has this issue emerged in the consciousness of the broader society. This seminar will consider the scientific evidence that has climate experts worried about the future, as well as the significant and global nature of economic, societal, and political issues that human induced climate change raises. For valuable perspective on the fundamental linkage between the climate system and life on Earth, we draw upon the rich archive of information about past interactions between life and climate provided by Earth's geologic record.