Earth’s Changing Climate

Course Overview

Investigate the “fingerprints” of global climate change, from melting glaciers to shifting ecosystems, in this scientific briefing on our warming planet.

Course No. 1219

This 12-lecture series presents the evidence that has led scientists to conclude:

• Global warming is unequivocal based on temperature records
• Human activity is very likely the primary cause
• Climate change impacts are visible across natural systems

Designed for nonscientists, these lectures explore the tools and data behind the consensus while avoiding policy recommendations – equipping you to engage knowledgeably in one of our era’s most critical environmental discussions.

Key Topics Covered:

• Temperature measurement techniques
• Greenhouse gas effects
• Climate modeling projections
• Ecosystem change indicators
• Energy consumption impacts
• Sustainable future scenarios

Video Lectures

01: Is Earth Warming? (32 min)

Examine global temperature trends over 150 years and how scientists measure planetary heating.

02: Butterflies, Glaciers, and Hurricanes (30 min)

Discover subtle climate change “fingerprints” in shifting species behavior and melting ice.

03: Ice Ages and Beyond (30 min)

Learn techniques extending temperature records back millions of years through geological evidence.

04: In the Greenhouse (30 min)

Understand how greenhouse gases disrupt Earth’s energy balance by trapping infrared radiation.

05: A Tale of Three Planets (30 min)

Compare Earth’s climate with Venus and Mars to demonstrate greenhouse gas effects.

06: Global Recycling (30 min)

Explore how water and carbon cycles influence climate over centuries to millennia.

07: The Human Factor (30 min)

Analyze how industrial-era CO2 increases exceed natural levels of the past million years.

08: Computing the Future (30 min)

See how climate models project several degrees of warming this century under current trends.

09: Impacts of Climate Change (31 min)

Assess disproportionate polar warming and land temperature increases.

10: Energy and Climate (30 min)

Calculate how modern energy consumption gives each person “100 energy servants.”

11: Energy—Resources and Alternatives (31 min)

Survey renewable options to replace greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels.

12: Sustainable Futures? (33 min)

Discuss pathways to stabilize CO2 levels and avoid disruptive climate change.