Climate Vulnerability

Beacon Hill Seminars - 2018 Program

Responding to the Physical, Economic & Social Challenges of Earth's Changing Climate

conducted by
Timothy C. Weiskel
Research Director, Cambridge Climate Research Associates and
The Citizen-Science Online Learning Initiative (CSOLI)
Copyright, ©, 2018, Timothy C. Weiskel

Earth's changing climate has become the foremost challenge for the survival of the human community. If we are going to learn to survive we need first to lean what is happening to our world and then to devise collective means of adapting to our changed circumstance in order to minimize human suffering and design a sustainable future as a human community.

To begin we will need to learn how to investigate the kinds of change that are occurring in our climate and global environment. Further, we need to learn to see how these changes are connected with one another to create new kinds of climate vulnerability for local, national and international systems upon which we all depend.

This course will help participants to develop skills of inquiry to locate and assess information from reliable sources on climate vulnerability both online and in printed sources of documentation. This scientific evidence will need to be sourced and cited correctly and so that we can each help to devise effective public policy to address our climate vulnerability. Particular attention will be given to how participants can become involved through "Climate Ready Boston" -- Boston's official initiative to develop resilient solutions to prepare our city for climate change.

The sequence of classes will include the following sessions topics:

Session	Date	Topic
1	7 March	How Vulnerable Are We? Where Can We Turn To Learn? (slides) + audio of session
2	14 March	The Challenge of Sea-Level Rise: The Case of Florida - Immediate and Longer-Term Vulnerability
3	21 March	The Challenge of Sea-Level Rise: The Post-Columbian City and Vulnerability Around the World.
4	28 March	The Climate Vulnerability of Fresh Water Supplies and Public Health + [Introductory slides for] Guest Discussion Leader - Dr. Suanna Crowley + audio of session.
5	4 April	The Climate Vulnerability of Agriculture and The Global Food System
6	11 April	The Climate Vulnerability of Local and National Infrastructure & Energy Systems
7	18 April	The Climate Vulnerability of National Security and the Stability of International Relations.
8	25 April	Where Can We Turn To Learn About Climate Vulnerability in Boston? How Can We Become Involved in Shaping Our Future?
9	2 May	How to Keep Track of the Coming Trends + Discussion of the idea of a “Boston Climate Institute”
10	9 May	Visiting Experts on Climate and Boston Ocean Interface

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Seminar Meeting Space - The Engineering Center