Topic outline

  • Climate.Now - Basics of climate change and implications on technology and business

    Welcome to Climate.now course in Aalto in period II 2022! 

    Climate change is the challenge of our time. Learn more about the science behind it, ponder your own relationship to it and how it connects to your study field, and discuss the topic with other students in multidisciplinary groups on Aalto Climate.now course.

    Lectures: Wednesdays 14:15–17:00 (Undergraduate Center, Lecture hall U8 - U270)
    Registration: 28.9.–2.11.2022 via Sisu (course is held under PHYS-E058001 Special course in Advanced Energy Technologies)
    Scope: 3 cr (lecture course) or 5 cr (lecture course + project work)

    The course is open for all students of Aalto (from bachelor to master and doctoral level)!
    NB! All students register for the same course in Sisu, the extent (3 cr or 5 cr) is taken into account at course end when credits are registered.

    Responsible teacher: PhD Sanna-Liisa Sihto-Nissilä (email: Sanna-Liisa.Sihto-Nissila@aalto.fi)
    Teaching Assistant: Thomas Mattathil ( thomas.mattathil@aalto.fi)
    Course is part of Climate University courses.

    Climate.now logo

  • Course description and schedule

    The course consists of the following:

    3 cr version


    5 cr version

    Assessment:

    Graded on scale 1-5.

    3 cr: Learning diary (75 %), En-Roads/IPCC assignment (25%), Climate.now multiple choice questions done

    5 cr: Learning diary (50 %), En-Roads/IPCC assignment (25%), project (25 %), Climate.now multiple choice questions done

    (Maximum points total 100 p.)

    Lectures (in Otaniemi, not streamed) cover scientific basics of climate change and selected topics around climate change by visiting lecturers. Lectures are partially mandatory: you should be present 2/3 i.e. 4 out of 6 lectures. If you are absent more than twice, you can do a compensating task.

    Extra points (on top of maximum of 100 points):
    + 5 points if all the lectures present
    + 1 point replying the course feedback 

    Schedule

    26.10.  Introduction and course start

                Science background of climate change: Myth busters

    2.11.   Clime Out board game session (Clime Out is a learning game by Snowflake Education Ltd.)

                En-Roads / IPCC Interactive Atlas small project start

    9.11.   Ville Lähde (BIOS): “World of crises”

                Elina Ruoho: Climate Neutral Aalto 2030 – Guidance for project work 2

    16.11.  John Millar (ELEC): Riding the waves of existential angst and the achievable challenges of getting carbon out of the power system

                Carbon footprint as a measure of climate impact (note change in schedule!)

    23.11.  Kati Kulovesi (UEF): International climate negotiations: UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement

                 En-Roads / IPCC Interactive Atlas small project presentations (note change in schedule!)

    30.11.  Meeri Karvinen (ENG): Awareness-based approach and co-creation to promote climate actions

                 Jouni Keronen (Climate Leadership Coalition): Climate change and economy

    7.12.    Student presentations, Project 2 (5 cr course)


  • Study materials

    Not available unless any of:
    • You are a(n) Student
    • You are a(n) Teacher
    • You are a(n) Advanced teacher

    Climate.now / Ilmasto.nyt is located at Digicampus:

    ENG: Climate.now https://digicampus.fi/course/view.php?id=3819 (enrolment key: aaltoclimatenow)

    FI: Ilmasto.nyt https://digicampus.fi/course/view.php?id=3837 (enrolment key: aaltoilmastonyt)

    Lecture slides will come to this page after the lecture.

    Learning diary model file will come here soon.

  • Groups

  • Starting questionnaire

    Please fill in the questionnaire below. Please answer by Monday 31.10. 23:59. All students taking the course should answer this!

    The questionnaire is for getting information who is taking the 5 cr and who 3 cr course version and about your backgrounds.


  • En-Roads / IPCC Atlas Group Assignment

    Select from two options:

    1) En-Roads model by Climate Interactive: Make your own climate mitigation scenario to limit warming to 1.5 or 2.0 degrees https://www.climateinteractive.org/tools/en-roads/

    2) Study effects of climate change with IPCC Interactive Atlas tool https://interactive-atlas.ipcc.ch/
    Select two regions of interest and investigate the effects in two climate change scenarios.

    SUBMISSION:

    • 7 mins presentation on Wed 23.11., submit the slides by 12:00 (noon)
    • Short report (~3-5 pages) by Sun 27.11.
    • If you have many figures the report lenght may be longer, but text part should be about 3 pages

    • Peer reviewed by the groups: every group reviews 2 other groups’ work

    • Also group self-assessment of their work

  • Submissions

    Submit your coursework here.

  • Project work (5 cr course)

    Innovate and design a project, action, etc. to reduce Aalto University’s carbon footprint
    • Instructions are in the file below
    • Select one of the two options

    Submission: 
    • Presentation slides, 10 min. presentation
    • Report of ~5 pages explaining your idea by Sunday 11.12.
    • Presentations on 7.12. at 14:15-16

    Assessment by the teachers