(13 hours)
7.1 Energy choices and security
7.2 Climate change—causes and impacts
7.3 Climate change—mitigation and adaptation
By the end of Subtopic 7.1 - Energy choices and security, you should be able to:
- Evaluate the pros and cons of using fossil fuel, nuclear power and renewable energy sources.
- Compare and contrast two different energy sources.
- Explain reasons for changing energy sources.
- Discuss factors affecting energy security.
- Discuss factors affecting energy choices.
By the end of Subtopic 7.2 - Climate change - causes and impacts, you should be able to:
- Distinguish between climate and weather.
- Discuss the factors which influence the earth’s climate.
- Outline positive and negative feedback mechanisms associated with change in global temperature.
- Describe the tri-cellular model used to explain how heat is transferred through atmospheric circulation.
- Outline the El Niño phenomenon.
- Discuss the impacts of climate change.
- Evaluate different viewpoints on climate change.
- Define the concept of tipping point.
- Evaluate the use of models in climate change.
By the end of Subtopic 7.3 - Climate Change – mitigation and adaptation, you should be able to:
- Define mitigation in the context of climate change.
- Define adaptation in the context of climate change.
- Distinguish between mitigation and adaptation measures in climate change.
- Discuss mitigation and adaptation strategies to tackle climate change.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the Kyoto Protocol.
- Outline the barriers to mitigation and adaptation strategies.
- Suggest how barriers to mitigation and adaptation could be resolved.