Climate Engineering Training

Lesson 1 • History of Climate Intervention Ideas

Traces proposals from early weather modification to modern geoengineering research programmes. Contextualises current practice within decades of scientific debate.

Lesson 2 • Defining Climate Engineering

Clarifies the distinction between mitigation, adaptation, and deliberate climate intervention. Provides the conceptual framework used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Major Intervention Categories

Surveys solar radiation management and carbon dioxide removal as the two primary branches. Establishes categorical distinctions used in all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 4 • Earth's Climate System Basics

Covers energy balance, radiative forcing, and feedback loops as physical foundations. Connects atmospheric science to intervention design logic.

Lesson 1 • Comparing SRM Approaches

Synthesises efficiency, cost, reversibility, and risk profiles across all SRM methods. Builds analytical skills for technique selection in applied contexts.

Lesson 2 • Space-Based Reflectors

Assesses orbital mirror and sunshade concepts for intercepting solar radiation before atmospheric entry. Evaluates engineering feasibility and cost barriers.

Lesson 3 • Stratospheric Aerosol Injection

Explains particle selection, injection altitude, and dispersion dynamics for aerosol-based cooling. Anchors the chapter's most studied and debated technique.

Lesson 4 • Surface Albedo Modification

Examines land and ocean surface treatments that increase reflectivity at local and regional scales. Illustrates scalability limits compared to stratospheric methods.

Lesson 1 • Ocean-Based Carbon Removal

Surveys ocean iron fertilisation, alkalinity enhancement, and kelp farming as marine CDR pathways. Addresses measurement challenges in open-ocean systems.

Lesson 2 • Enhanced Weathering and Mineralisation

Covers accelerated silicate rock weathering and basalt spreading as geological CDR approaches. Evaluates co-benefits for soil health and agricultural productivity.

Lesson 3 • Direct Air Carbon Capture

Examines chemical sorbent and solid-state systems that extract CO2 directly from ambient air. Connects energy requirements to deployment economics.

Lesson 4 • Afforestation and Reforestation

Covers carbon sequestration through tree planting at scale, including land-use constraints and co-benefits. Establishes the biological CDR baseline.

Lesson 1 • Simulating CDR Interventions

Explains how to represent land-use change, ocean fertilisation, and DAC drawdown in models. Links CDR simulation to carbon budget tracking.

Lesson 2 • Climate Model Architecture

Introduces general circulation models, Earth system models, and reduced-complexity models. Establishes the modelling toolkit used throughout applied simulation work.

Lesson 3 • Interpreting Regional Climate Impacts

Focuses on downscaling global model outputs to assess regional precipitation, temperature, and extreme events. Builds skills for impact-focused reporting.

Lesson 4 • Uncertainty Quantification

Teaches methods for characterising model uncertainty, sensitivity analysis, and ensemble spread. Prepares students to communicate confidence levels to decision-makers.

Lesson 1 • Risk Assessment Frameworks

Introduces hazard identification, exposure assessment, and consequence analysis adapted for climate interventions. Establishes the structured methodology used in all assessments.

Lesson 2 • Hydrological and Ecosystem Risks

Covers monsoon disruption, drought intensification, and biodiversity impacts from altered radiation and precipitation. Links physical changes to ecological consequences.

Lesson 3 • Termination Shock Analysis

Analyses the rapid warming rebound risk if SRM deployment is abruptly halted. Develops contingency planning skills for sustained intervention programmes.

Lesson 4 • Atmospheric and Chemical Risks

Examines ozone depletion, acid deposition, and aerosol toxicity as chemical hazards of SRM deployment. Connects atmospheric chemistry to human and ecosystem health.

Lesson 1 • National and Regional Oversight

Examines how domestic environmental impact assessment and permitting processes apply to field trials. Connects international obligations to national implementation.

Lesson 2 • Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement

Covers verification protocols, independent auditing, and enforcement mechanisms for intervention programmes. Builds practical compliance management skills.

Lesson 3 • International Environmental Law Basics

Covers treaty obligations, customary international law, and the no-harm principle as applied to transboundary interventions. Establishes the legal baseline for governance analysis.

Lesson 4 • Governance Design Principles

Introduces adaptive governance, precautionary principle, and inclusive decision-making as design criteria. Prepares students to evaluate and propose governance architectures.

Lesson 1 • Experimental Design Principles

Teaches randomisation, control conditions, statistical power, and confound management for outdoor experiments. Connects design rigour to result validity.

Lesson 2 • Data Analysis and Reporting

Teaches statistical analysis, uncertainty reporting, and peer-review-ready documentation of field trial results. Closes the research cycle from data to publication.

Lesson 3 • Deployment Logistics and Safety

Addresses aircraft, vessel, and ground-based deployment operations, including safety protocols and contingency planning. Prepares students for operational field management.

Lesson 4 • Instrumentation and Measurement

Covers sensor selection, calibration, remote sensing integration, and data quality assurance for field campaigns. Ensures measurement reliability across diverse environments.

Lesson 1 • Stakeholder Engagement Strategy

Covers mapping affected parties, designing participation processes, and managing conflict in deployment planning. Integrates social legitimacy into technical planning.

Lesson 2 • Multi-Method Portfolio Design

Teaches how to combine SRM and CDR methods into a coherent portfolio that balances speed, permanence, and risk. Develops systems-level planning competency.

Lesson 3 • Scenario Development and Target Setting

Covers climate scenario selection, temperature and carbon targets, and intervention objective framing. Anchors all subsequent planning in quantified goals.

Lesson 4 • Adaptive Management and Exit Planning

Develops monitoring-triggered decision rules, phasedown protocols, and exit strategies for long-term programmes. Ensures plans remain responsive to new evidence.