Why did you decide to offer a course on MINT157 Climate Science and Policy? Why is it an important topic for MINT Students?

The world has entered a new very unstable phase, when a number of high level decisions are not based on facts, nor on solid scientifically based evidence, but rather on perceived short term benefits for countries, companies, or even individuals. A major objective of this course is to to help students to better understand the issues at stake and to be actors rather than spectators.

Can you share 3 real-world examples or highlights of the course that would captivate student's interests and stress the course's practical relevance?

Issues addressed in the course cover a wide range of subjects, with particular emphasis on the worsening climate change crisis, with sustainable development and more generally on the complex multi-disciplinary aspects of most current world major crises, taking also into account my 12 years experience as Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation and my knowledge of the multilateral system at the highest level.

What skills do you believe students will acquire through this course, and how can these be applied in various academic and professional contexts

It is expected that students will be better equipped to deal with the complex interactions between various dimensions of the problems they will face in their professional life. They will be more sensitised to the importance of taking into account the best possible information, in particular based on science, before making decisions. They will also be encouraged not to focus primarily on short term time horizons, but to consider the longer term impacts.