The Future of Earth's Climate as Revealed by its Past

Climate change in the 21st century poses a number of significant questions. For instance, how much will temperature and sea level rise? What is a ‘safe’ level of CO2? How robust are climate models? What is the likelihood of an abrupt climate shift? In this course we will explore the central issues surrounding global warming, particularly as viewed through the lens of Earth’s climate history. We will link climate theory, global warming projections, and the geologic record of past climate to understand the scientific basis for and level of certainty about our climate future.