Transdisciplinary Adventures in a Physics Classroom: Teaching Climate Change

Why teach climate change in a general physics college course? If we accept the overwhelming evidence¹ of the reality and seriousness of anthropogenic climate change, then, surely, educators have an ethical obligation to help prepare the next generation for the changes that are to come, and enable them to be changemakers for a better future. But why a physics class? First, there is rich applied physics in basic climate science that can illuminate how physics is relevant in the world. Second, where else might students learn about climate change? Most education systems do not have a mandatory class on climate change that embraces the multiple dimensions of the problem. In the absence of a good alternative, this is a compelling ethical reason to introduce climate change in every course, across the curriculum. Is it possible to do this in a physics course in an effective way? In this article,...