Climate Change Risk Management (BIT486CO)
Climate change science, greenhouse warming physics, climate impacts in Nepal, indicators, extreme weather adaptation, ICT for green growth, and CIRA risk analysis.
Unit 1: Overview of Climate Change Science5 hrs
- Weather vs climate, climate system components (Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Cryosphere, Lithosphere, Biosphere)
- Historical climate variability, ice age cycles, and modern anthropogenic warming trends
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports and global climate treaties (UNFCCC, Paris Agreement)
Unit 2: Causes of Climate Change6 hrs
- Greenhouse effect physics and Earth's radiative equilibrium budget
- Greenhouse gases: Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Fluorinated gases, and global warming potential (GWP)
- Natural radiative forcing (volcanic aerosols, solar cycles) vs anthropogenic forcing (fossil fuel emissions, deforestation, industrial agriculture)
Unit 3: Future of Climate Change & Projections5 hrs
- Global Climate Models (GCMs) and Regional Climate Models (RCMs)
- IPCC Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) and Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs)
- Global temperature rise projections, sea level rise, and ocean acidification
Unit 4: Climate Change Impacts in Nepal6 hrs
- Himalayan vulnerability: Third Pole warming amplification and snowpack retreat
- Impacts on water resources: glacial retreat, streamflow volatility, and hydroelectricity vulnerability
- Agricultural impacts: crop yield fluctuations, shifts in agro-ecological zones, and food security
- Forestry and biodiversity: species migration, habitat disruption, and forest fires
- Public health impacts: vector-borne disease expansion and heat stress
Unit 5: Climate Change Indicators & Extreme Events5 hrs
- Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) in Nepal: risk factors, monitoring, and early warning drainage
- Extreme weather phenomena: erratic monsoons, cloudbursts, intense flash flooding, and prolonged droughts
- Phenological shifts in flora and fauna as climate indicators
Unit 6: Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management6 hrs
- Climate change mitigation vs adaptation strategies
- Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA)
- Nepal's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Local Adaptation Plans for Action (LAPA)
- Climate finance mechanisms: Green Climate Fund (GCF), clean development mechanisms, and carbon trading
Unit 7: ICT for Climate Change and Green Growth6 hrs
- Role of Information and Communication Technology in climate monitoring and green growth
- Remote sensing satellite imagery and IoT weather sensor networks for environmental monitoring
- Green IT concepts: reducing data center carbon footprint, energy-efficient algorithms, and e-waste management
- Smart grids, precision agriculture, and ICT-enabled carbon accounting
Unit 8: Climate Change Impacts and Risk Analysis (CIRA Framework)6 hrs
- Climate Change Impacts and Risk Analysis (CIRA) framework methodology
- Quantitative hazard, vulnerability, and exposure risk assessment models
- Cost-benefit analysis of climate adaptation interventions and resilience building
Reference books
- Houghton, John, Global Warming: The Complete Briefing (5th ed.), Cambridge University Press.
- IPCC, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press.
- Feenstra, Jan F., Ian Burton, Joel B. Smith, and Richard S. J. Tol, Handbook on Methods for Climate Change Impact Assessment and Adaptation Strategies, UNEP.
- O'Neill, M., Green IT for Sustainable Business Practice, British Computer Society.
- Kuehr, R. and E. Williams (eds.), Computers and the Environment: Understanding and Managing Their Impacts, Kluwer Academic Publishers.