Science of Climate change

Climate change is already disrupting ecological, atmospheric and hydrologic systems. Yet there is poor understanding of the science of climate. At the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. explain the science of weather and climate; 2. classify different world’s climate; 3. identify causes and effects of climate change; and 4. characterize global response to climate change.

Subject-matter and scope of climatology. Historical developments of meteorology and climatology. Physical climatology: Solar radiation, atmospheric temperature, atmospheric moisture, air masses, fronts and storms; winds and the global air circulation system. Regional climatology: classification of climates; examples of climate classificatory systems; climatic regions of the world, the science and politics of climate change; adaptation and mitigation of climate change, climate-preneurship to leverage the opportunities presented by climate change; global strategies and the role(s) of institutions and organizations: UNFCCC, WMO, UNEP, IPCC. Manifestations of climate change; vulnerability to climate change. Adaptation to climate change. Communicating climate change. Climate change versus environmental change. Nigeria’s response to climate change, The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).