ZX401 Climate change

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jarmila Burianová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Lukáš Dolák, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Jarmila Burianová, Ph.D.
Department of Geography – Earth Sciences Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: Mgr. Lukáš Dolák, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Geography – Earth Sciences Section – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites (in Czech)
KREDITY_MIN(20) && ! CORE027 Climate change - causes
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 26 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/26, only registered: 0/26
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
At the end of this course students should be able to: Within reasonable level of detail understand and explain fundamental driving forces of global climate (greenhouse effect, insolation changes, oceanic and atmospheric heat distribution etc.) Explain and reason about climate change that is expected within next centuries and reason about human induced climate change effects. On general level understand and explain local impacts in various parts of the wolrd. On general level understand and explain possible adaptation and mitigation strategies to expected climate change and also current international treaties.
Learning outcomes
The student will be able to after completing the course
- describe the basic principles of the functioning of the climate system
- put ongoing change in the context of past climate change
- explain and discuss climate change expected in the coming decades and human influence
- understand and explain local impacts in different parts of the world
- understand and explain adaptation and mitigation strategies and current international negotiations
- identify the so-called climate myths
- find relevant information on the topic
Syllabus
  • 1. Climate system
  • 2. Atmosphere - composition, processes, data
  • 3. Greenhouse effect of the atmosphere - principle and changes
  • 4. Carbon cycle
  • 5. Climatic models, climatic scenarios
  • 6. Palaeoclimatology, historical climatology and climate change in the past
  • 7. Quaternary climate and selected climate fluctuations
  • 8. Past and recent climate change impacts
  • 9. Climate change in the Czech Republic and expected impacts in the world
  • 10. Conceptions, conferences and agreements concerning climate change
  • 11. Possibilities of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures
  • 12. Uncertainties, risks and issues of climate change
Literature
    required literature
  • MASSON-DELMOTTE, V. a kol. Climate Change 2021. The Physical Science Basis. Summary for Policymakers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021. 41
    recommended literature
  • PŘIBYLA, O., ZÁKOPČANOVÁ, K., PECHNÍK, O. Atlas klimatické změny. Změny v atmosféře a rizika oteplování. Online, 34. ISBN 978-80-88212-36-2
  • MŽP. Národní akční plán adaptace na změnu klimatu. Praha, online, 113.
  • MASSON-DELMOTTE, V. a kol. Climate Change 2021. The Physical Science Basis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021. 3949
  • MAREK, Michal V. Klimatická změna - příčiny, dopady a adaptace. Vydání první. Praha: Academia, 2022, xii, 350. ISBN 9788020033628. info
  • STERN, N. H. The economics of climate change : the Stern review. 1st pub. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007, xix, 692. ISBN 9780521700801. info
  • HOUGHTON, John Theodore. The physics of atmospheres. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002, xv, 320. ISBN 0521011221. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, discussions, presentations of various forms of educational activities
Assessment methods
oral exam
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2011, Autumn 2011 - acreditation, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2019, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/spring2025/ZX401