Continuing Studies

Understanding Climate Science

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Continuing Studies

Climate change has now become a climate crisis. Increase your knowledge by joining us to learn about how the natural greenhouse effect works and how humans are enhancing this effect, resulting in a warming world. We will also explore how a warming world is changing the world's climates, resulting in various impacts (e.g. feedback loops that are accelerating change, irreversible tipping points, wildfires growing bigger) and how humans are being forced to adapt to these changes.

Carbon Pricing

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Continuing Studies

This session is devoted to a centrally important climate reduction strategy, carbon pricing. It will compare the British Columbia carbon tax with the federal and other carbon pricing schemes. Different design choices will be critically examined, including expected future price/tax levels and use of revenues.

Carbon Reduction Programs and Policies

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Continuing Studies

We will look at other greenhouse gas reduction policies, such as low carbon fuel standards, vehicle carbon emission standards or subsidy programs for building upgrades and clean emission vehicle purchases. We will examine why such policies are necessary if one already has a comprehensive carbon tax and what distinguishes stronger from weaker policies.

Climate Change and the Ocean

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Continuing Studies

As our planet warms, the global ocean is feeling it. Marine heat waves and coral bleaching events are on the increase while Arctic sea ice shrinks and oxygen levels decline. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change are also changing ocean chemistry. This talk outlines these interrelated impacts and suggests actions we can take to counteract them.

Climate Crisis Risks

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Continuing Studies

The climate crisis presents real risks to the biosphere as a whole, including us humans. In this course we will investigate how a warming world is changing climates, but also changing weather events - especially extreme weather events (e.g. heat events, storms, floods). Climate risks will become more acute with each passing generation. Toward the end of the century (your grandchildren's lifespan) the risks will likely be very severe. We will also learn about the specific climate risks here on Vancouver Island.

Climate Plans

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Continuing Studies

We will focus on how to assess the robustness and completeness of climate plans. This session will examine federal and selected provincial climate plans, looking at plan components such as greenhouse gas targets, baselines, actions and carbon accounting.

Issues and Ideas in Canadian Environmentalism

CS201

Canadian Studies (CS)

An exploration of the connections between Canadian culture and environment including an examination of our cultural worldview both past and present. Investigates how our sense of nation, national destiny and religious, cultural and ethnic inheritance has shaped and continues to shape our ideas of the wilderness, the Canadian environment and environmental issues.