260018 VU From the science of climate change to the human climate crisis (2023W)

This course gives an introduction to some of the physical, biological, and societal aspects of the climate crisis, aiming to grasp it at a scientific and holistic level.

The first six lectures (given by the climate scientist Aiko Voigt) treat the following topics: spatial patterns of surface warming; relative humidity and precipitation in today's climate and their response to warming; theories of tropical precipitation; carbon budgets and their relevance for the Paris agreement; bistability and hysteresis of the Earth system. This requires an understanding of the basic physics of the atmosphere and the climate system. Students who lack this understanding are strongly advised to attend the block course "Introduction to Computational Meteorology" that is held in the first week of the semester and provides a basic introduction to the dynamics and physics of the atmosphere and climate and their representation in numerical models.

The next three lectures (given by the microbiologist Christa Schleper) treat the two secondmost important greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide, as well as biological mitigation strategies. Biological methane production is mediated by specialized microorganisms in anoxic environments and in the guts of ruminants. Natural mitigation options as well as changing agricultural practices and consumer behaviour will also be covered. Similarly, the global nitrogen cycle and its relation to artificial fertiliser production will be discussed, along with agricultural and consumer mitigation options as well as ongoing research on this hot topic. The third unit treats examples of biological research projects and industrial processes that are being developed to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. This includes bio-methane formation from CO2, research projects and practices in agro-ecology, and examples for vegan food production.

The last three lectures (given by the political scientist Patrick Scherhaufer) analyse the political and societal failure to address the climate emergency adequately so far. The focus is on an understanding of the discrepancies between scientifically necessary action and political realities. Students learn to critically question the significance of actors, their world views, interests and their logic of action/inaction. Since bottom-up initiatives of climate activism are a promising part of the solution, their strategies and practices of legal and illegal forms of political participation and their potential impacts on the socio-ecological transformation are treated.

Discussions and cooperation are important parts of the course. At the end of the term there will be five additional sessions (organised by the mathematical physicist Nils Carqueville) for participants to discuss and reflect the scientific and societal topics covered. A goal will be to summarise and synthesise the key facts and insights from the lectures in a collectively written text.