Climate change is the environmental challenge of our era, presenting risks to economic, cultural, and social structures at local, national and international scales. This interdisciplinary minor takes advantage of the University of Oregon's strengths in the science of weather and climate, climate and environmental change, and the social context for these changes. The minor integrates studies and classes that draw on the strength of climate studies in geography–with supporting classes in environmental studies, earth sciences, and political science–to help students understand and respond to this crisis.
The minor provides an understanding the scientific principles that drive climate change, natural and human causes of climate change, and possibilities for climate action. In addition to the principles of climate science, elective courses engage students with the multiple dimensions of human-driven climate change, including climate modelling, climate impacts, mitigation, and adaptation. Students will investigate the societal drivers and ramifications of modern climate change through elective courses on environment and development, climate policy, and environmental justice.