Human-induced climate change is one of the most important international problems facing the world today. Yet our scientific understanding of the impacts of global warming is just emerging. Projections of how much the Earth will warm under various energy-use scenarios are fraught with uncertainty. Far-reaching decisions on energy policy are being made on the basis of imperfect scientific knowledge. This course will explore a variety of scientific and philosophical questions: How serious is climate change relative to other pressing global problems? What are the scientific uncertainties around global warming? What can economic analysis tell us—or not tell us—about such long-term problems as climate change? How might we address global intergenerational issues such as climate change in a just way?
Ethics and Climate Change is designed to accommodate students of any background, from the committed physics or philosophy major to students whose primary interests are directed toward art, literature, history, language, or the social sciences.
The Danz Courses in the Humanities are made possible by the generous financial support of Fredric Danz, who attended the University of Washington and is a longtime benefactor of the humanities.
Enhanced Podcast [8:24m]: