Science of Post 2012 Global Climate Change Treaty

This assignment is designed to provide students: (1) to learn how to conduct the cost and benefit analysis of implementing science into public policy; and (2) to understand the challenges of implementing science into action in real world. In order to set the tone for the interplay of science and public policy as the focus of the assignment, I ask student to put themselves in the policy thinking of the President of the United States. This assignment requires student to identify top three credible scientific findings about the role of Green House Gases (GHGs) and Global Climate Change. Then students identify the most credible scientific finding. This science is the one tha United States government (or the team's selected selected country) is most willing to engage in serious negotiation after Kyoto Protocol is expired in 2012. Students then conduct cost and benefit analysis of implementing the most credible science into action for the United States or their selected country. In this cost and benefit analysis, students are instructed to look into top three GHG emitting sectors of the U.S. economy and respective country. Based on the findings, students issue policy recommendations for the selected country's position for the post-2012 climate change treaty. The central question students answer is: what scientific finding should be a guide to the post-2012 climate change treaty and how that climate change science and the political economic interests of five major emitting countries be reconciled so as to achieve a sensible and threat-thwarting climate change treaty after Kyoto Protocol expires?