Climate and Environment

This course introduces the climate system. It provides students with an overview of the origin, operation and history of Earth’s climate system including the atmosphere, ocean, ice and weather systems. Specifically, it focuses on understanding the processes determining Earth’s climates covering greenhouse gases, clouds, atmosphere and ocean circulation, and natural climate change. The course is intended for students who are new to the study of climate. Three credits and lab.

This course introduces students to the science of global environmental systems and processes necessary to address issues associated with environmental change. Through the study of interconnected global biogeochemical, atmospheric, landscape scale, and hydrological processes, students will learn about the science that underpins many current environmental issues associated with climate change, resource availability and contamination. Case studies will be used to illustrate concepts, and students will develop an understanding of the fundamentals of environmental measurement, and an introduction to major groups of environmental contaminants. Credit will be granted for only one of CLEN 102, ENSC 115 or EESC 271. Three credits and lab.

This course looks at the relationship between people and ecosystems through a lens of environmental and social justice. It explores how varying historic and contemporary human interactions with the physical planet benefit and harm different members of the global population, examining how different societies impact the environment and how the environment impacts different societies. Issues explored will include resource extraction, biodiversity, climate change, human rights and livelihoods, global inequalities, environmental governance, and ecological justice. Cross-listed as DEVS 203. Prerequisite: One of CLEN 101, 102, DEVS 101, or permission of the coordinator. Three credits.

An understanding of the impacts of climate change has become crucial for areas of governance, business, engineering and diverse fields of science. This course will provide students with a qualitative understanding of climate processes and climate models as well as an understanding of uncertainty in future climate change and limitations to model simulations. In addition, the impacts of climate change to many aspects of human societies will be explored. Cross-listed as EESC 272. Prerequisite: CLEN 101 or EESC 172. Three credits and lab.

An introduction to the processes which generate micro, local and regional scale climate and weather. Topics include surface energy balance, atmospheric stability and structure, turbulence, climates of coastal regions, forests, grasslands, and soils. Laboratory component is centred on multi-week outdoor field based projects. Prerequisites: CLEN 101 or EESC 172, PHYS 101 or 121 or MATH 106 or CSCI 161, EESC 265 or ENGR 224/STAT 231 or permission of the coordinator. Three credits and lab.

This course explores the social and environmental impacts of business, focusing on how organizations can improve outcomes for stakeholders while addressing sustainability challenges. Rooted in an understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) frameworks, students will examine strategies to integrate sustainability into business practices ranging from supply chain interventions to social impact reporting. Emphasis is placed on developing actionable solutions for real-world scenarios, equipping students to drive positive change in the business world. Cross-listed as BSAD 473. Prerequisite: CLEN 201 or BSAD 358 or permission of instructor. Three credits.

Armero. Katrina. Fukushima. Fort McMurray. This course explains how failures of policy, planning, and preparation have resulted in the worst disasters in modern history – and how societies and governments have learned or failed to learn from these disasters. Using applied research and simulation-based learning, this course will also examine the policies and programs that can help societies prevent/mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazards as they increase in frequency and severity. Cross-listed as PGOV 355, Prerequisite: PGOV 101 or CLEN 101 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

This course provides students with the tools and strategies necessary to solve problems in climate and environment. Through case studies students will learn about best practices for addressing interdisciplinary problems in climate and environment. Students will then apply these principles to develop and workshop a proposal. Restricted to fourth-year students in the BASc Climate and Environment program. Three credits.

This capstone course is designed to empower students with interdisciplinary and skills to deploy ideas. In this course, interdisciplinary groups of students will work to launch initiatives and take a project from conception to an outcome. The students will work closely with faculty advisors, and in some cases other outside experts, to define goals, methods, outcomes, and indicators of success. Restricted to fourth-year students in the BASc Climate and Environment program. Prerequisite: CLEN 401. Three credits.

Students undertake an independent research project related to climate or environment, under the supervision of a faculty member associated with the CLEN program. Students will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in conducting original research. Students will also develop skills in written and oral communication by submitting a scholarly paper and defending their Thesis by presenting the results of their research in a public presentation. Restricted to students in BASc Climate and Environment honours program. Six credits.