Session 2: The planet is changing

Introduction

Do you believe the climate is changing? If so, how can you be sure?

Measuring global warming and, more broadly, climate change, is an essential part of monitoring the world we live in. We depend on planetary resources and weather, and we can be very sensitive to change, particularly in developing countries where people are more vulnerable.

Ecosystems can also be vulnerable. If we used geoengineering or any other climate action, we would need to monitor whether the changes were as we expected.

So reliable detection of climate change is not only about understanding the past, but also our future.

In this session you will study recent changes in Earth’s temperature and water, and the impact of the climate crisis on humans and other life.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

• explain a variety of ways in which the Earth system is measured
• appreciate the variety of recent changes in the Earth system and their impacts on humans and other life
• appreciate some different ways of communicating climate science to non-experts
• begin to consider decisions and different priorities in the context of climate change and geoengineering.