Energy, the Environment, and Our Future

Joininternationally-acclaimed researcher and award-winningeducator Richard Alley in an exploration of the role ofenergy in our environment and our future. Energy use hasdone great good for humans by giving those in thedeveloped world the equivalent of 100 energy "serfs" to doour bidding, making up roughly 10% of the economy, andpowering most of the economy.  However, the unintendedconsequences of energy use are affecting people around theworld and changing the climate in ways that will make lifemuch harder.  Numerous options exist for development of asustainable energy system that provides a strongereconomy, more jobs, and greater security that is moreconsistent with ethical principles.  The course exploresthese issues.
 
“Energy, the Environment, and Our Future” will combinestudent-centered instructional materials and film clipsfrom the PBS TV series Earth: The Operators' Manual, alsohosted by Richard Alley, to tell the history, present, andpossible futures of human energy use. 

(Subject to change before course begins)

●    Lesson 1. Sustainability: Why Energy Matters (and Money)  
●    Lesson 2. What is Energy—Units and Such; What we use, and how much good it does  
●    Lesson 3. Oil, Coal and Natural Gas, Drilling and Fracking and Reserves  
●    Lesson 4. Global Warming I—Physics 
●    Lesson 5. Global Warming II—History  and Impacts 
●    Lesson 6. Options: Solar, Wind
●    Lesson 7. Options: Geothermal, Waves, Tides, Nukes
●    Lesson 8. Options: Conservation
●    Lesson 9. Options: Geo-Engineering
●    Lesson 10. Economics
●    Lesson 11. Policy Options
●    Lesson 12. Ethical issues