The course will begin with the basics of climate science and carbon cycles, coupled with an understanding of Earth's natural energy budget and balance. Students will evaluate Canada and the world's carbon budgets, before focusing on key Canadian GHG generation sectors that this course is targeting: fossil fuel production, transportation, energy generation and delivery, buildings, efficiency, industry, farming, forestry and soils, all aligning with our current GHG footprint. There will be a review of the history and functioning of primary and secondary energy generation and distribution systems. Students will study both the potential for disruption and mitigation strategies necessary for the mass adoption of intermittent generation, the electrification of heating and the elimination of carbon from transportation in particular. Energy storage will be a key part of this review. Buildings will be considered — both for the potential efficiency gains to be achieved and for technological changes to displace fossil fuel consumption.

We will consider where Canada’s largest industrial emitters must move to in order to eliminate their carbon contributions, recognizing the transitional role of cement, iron and steel, fossil fuels and the existing economic systems that rely on them. Hydrogen’s potential role will be considered, alongside carbon capture and storage. Finally, students will consider farming and forestry as potential carbon sequestration interventions. Each of these broad areas will be viewed through multiple lenses: policy, political, economic, environmental, financial, technical.