Short series of three lectures
providing a simple, physical overview to understand the main causes of global warming, its main impacts on temperatures and water resources, and the solutions
Program:
• Lecture 1 (11:00-11:45) – Radiation and temperature
Lecture 1 focuses on radiation and temperatures. We look at radiation as the main driver of temperatures,
how greenhouse gases affect radiative fluxes and what this means for temperatures, patterns of temperature
change and why the frequency of hot temperatures increases disproportionately with global warming.
• Lecture 2 (15:00 -15:45) – Hydrological cycle
Lecture 2 focuses on the hydrological cycle, with its fluxes of evaporation and precipitation. Evaporation of
water requires a lot of energy, so it is a major part of the surface energy balance. This energy is released
when precipitation occurs, driving much of the dynamics within the atmosphere. We assess how these
dynamics change with global warming and what this means for the frequency of droughts and extreme
precipitation events.
• Lecture 3 (16:00-16:45) – Solution to global warming
Lecture 3 focuses on the solution to global warming through a transition to renewable energy and modern
technologies based on electricity rather than combustion, thus moving forward without the need for fossil
fuels. We will discuss why photovoltaics is by far the most efficient way to generate energy from sunlight
compared to other renewable energy sources, and why the shift from combustion to electricity has significant
potential to reduce our demand for primary energy.