Fundamentals
Climate Science 101
The physical science of climate change and why it matters
About this course
Why this course exists
The foundational course for the entire platform. Covers the greenhouse effect, carbon cycle, evidence for human-caused climate change, greenhouse gases, climate impacts, tipping points, IPCC scenarios, and climate governance. Start here before any other course.
What you will learn
After this course you will be able to
- Explain the basic physics of the greenhouse effect and radiative forcing in your own words
- Read an IPCC AR6 chapter end-to-end and identify its core claims
- Describe the carbon cycle and the major feedback loops with confidence
- Place any climate news story in the context of established science instead of taking it on trust
Course content
6 modules · 24 lessons
Walk through the modules in order or jump to a specific lesson. Each lesson is a real chapter you can open and start reading immediately.
Module 1·4 lessons
How the Climate System Works
Energy Balance, Greenhouse Effect, and Feedbacks
Module 2·4 lessons
The Evidence for Climate Change
What We Know and How We Know It
- 1.15 min read
Temperature Records and Observed Warming
IPCC AR6 WGI, Chapter 2
- 1.25 min read
Paleoclimate: 800,000 Years of Evidence
IPCC AR6 WGI, Chapter 2.3
- 1.36 min read
Observed Changes: Ice, Oceans, and Extremes
IPCC AR6 WGI, Chapter 2.3, 9
- 1.45 min read
Attribution: How We Know It Is Human-Caused
IPCC AR6 WGI, Chapter 3
Module 3·4 lessons
Greenhouse Gases in Detail
Sources, Sinks, and the Carbon Budget
Module 4·4 lessons
Climate Impacts and Risks
What Climate Change Means for People and Nature
- 3.16 min read
Tipping Points and Irreversibility
IPCC AR6 WGI, Chapter 4.7; WGII Chapter 16
- 3.26 min read
Extreme Weather and Attribution
IPCC AR6 WGI, Chapter 11; WGII Chapter 16
- 3.36 min read
Regional Impacts
IPCC AR6 WGII, Chapters 9-15
- 3.47 min read
Human Dimensions: Food, Water, Health, Migration
IPCC AR6 WGII, Chapters 4-8
Module 5·4 lessons
Scenarios and Pathways
Possible Climate Futures
- 4.15 min read
IPCC Scenarios: SSP1 to SSP5
IPCC AR6 WGI, Chapter 1.6; WGIII Chapter 3
- 4.26 min read
What 1.5C, 2C, 3C, and 4C Worlds Look Like
IPCC AR6 WGII, Chapter 16; SR1.5 Chapter 3
- 4.36 min read
Mitigation Pathways and Technology
IPCC AR6 WGIII, Chapter 3-4
- 4.46 min read
Adaptation: Living with Climate Change
IPCC AR6 WGII, Chapter 17
Module 6·4 lessons
Climate Governance and the Policy Landscape
From Science to Action
- 5.15 min read
The UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement
Paris Agreement; UNFCCC
- 5.25 min read
The IPCC: How Climate Science Is Assessed
IPCC AR6 SPM
- 5.35 min read
National and Corporate Climate Action
Paris Agreement Art. 4; IPCC AR6 WGIII Chapter 14
- 5.48 min read
Connecting Climate Science to the Platform
Platform cross-reference
Continue your path
This course is part of 2 curated paths
Each path is a sequence of five courses designed to take a practitioner from first principles to defensible output. Pick one to see where this course fits.