ENGG562/ENV462: Climate Change Governance: Science, Data & Models

Instructors

Instructors:  Dr. Abubakr Muhammad, Dr. Talha Manzoor and Dr. Muhammad Awais

Emails: abubakr@lums.edu.pk,  talha.manzoor@lums.edu.pk and awais.m@lums.edu.pk  

TA:  Ahmed Saeed, Arfa Yaseen and Hamza Jawad Ansari

Course Description

Short version: This interdisciplinary course equips students with the tools, models, and frameworks necessary to understand and influence climate, water, energy, and food (WEF) policy through data-driven systems thinking. It blends technical modeling—such as integrated assessment models and data science—with governance insights into climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, and infrastructure resilience. Students will engage in scenario-based planning, explore socio-technical systems, and work with real-world case studies, especially from the Indus Basin. The course culminates in a team-based policy modeling project using local or global datasets. 

Long version: This course explores the intersection of climate science, data analytics, and policy governance, equipping students to develop integrated scenarios with state-of-the-art modeling and data-visualization tools. You’ll begin each week with foundational readings and lectures, then apply those concepts in focused, in-class case-study discussions on scenario design, policy interventions, and sectoral analyses—covering mitigation, adaptation, impacts, risk management, and resilience across energy, water, agriculture, and their nexus. Each module features either a real-world case study, an invited practitioner seminar, or a field visit to a relevant agency. You might assess a national or provincial climate policy alongside a policymaker, observe disaster-response operations at an emergency management authority, or discuss grid-decarbonization strategies with an energy regulator. Weekly assignments will deepen your grasp of core concepts; radiative forcing, carbon budgets, governance instruments, and resilience planning, while small-group workshops will guide you through building and stresstesting future trajectories in Integrated Assessment Models and Scenario Explorer. The semester culminates in a capstone team project: you’ll formulate a governance question, construct a detailed future scenario, and deliver evidence-based recommendations for reducing climate risk. By the end of the course, you will be adept at translating complex scientific and policy data into clear, academically rigorous strategies—and in drafting a concise policy brief based on your project findings.

Course Prerequisite(s)

ENGG 562: 

1. Graduate standing (any major) OR EE, CS, MATH, PHYS, CE undergraduates with min. junior standing OR min. Junior standing, along with the permission of the instructor. 
2. Intermediate level experience of data analytics, and visualization using programming environments such as Python, MATLAB, R, C/C++ etc.

ENV 462: 

1. For SSE undergraduates with a minimum. Junior standing OR by permission of the instructor 
2. For non-SSE undergraduates with a minimum. Junior standing, along with any ENV2xx (or higher) course, OR by permission of the instructor
3. Beginner-level experience in data analytics and visualization using Excel, Python, R, etc.

Course Learning Outcomes

1. CLO1: Explain the physical drivers of climate change and key metrics (radiative forcing, carbon budgets, etc.). 
2. CLO2: Critically assess climate policy and reporting frameworks (e.g., NDCs, carbon pricing, mitigation/adaptation). 
3. CLO3: Apply computational modeling and data visualization tools to develop pathways for energy, water, and agriculture systems. 
4. CLO4: Interpret & communicate complex scenario results to technical and non-technical audiences

Grading Breakup and Policy

For the two courses, lectures will be combined, but instruments/assessments/grading will be separate. 

Assignment(s): 20% 

Quiz(s): 10% 

Class Participation: 5% 

Midterm Examination: 20% 

Project: 25% 

Final Examination: 20%

Examination Detail

Midterm Exam: 

Yes/No: Yes

Combine/Separate: Separate 

Duration: 90 minutes

Preferred Date: Mid-week Exam Specifications: Open-book and open-notes.

Final Exam:

Yes/No: Yes

Combine/Separate: Separate

Duration: 3 hours

Exam Specifications: Open-book and open-notes.

Course Overview 

Textbook(s)/Supplementary Readings

General Reference and Introduction:

• Krauss, Lawrence M. The physics of climate change. Post Hill Press, 2021.
• Schneider, Stephen H., Armin Rosencranz, Michael D. Mastrandrea, and Kristin Kuntz-Duriseti. Climate change science and policy. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2010. 
• Dessler, A.E. Introduction to modern climate change. Cambridge University Press, 2021
•  Webber, M.E. Thirst for power: Energy, water, and human survival. Yale University Press, 2016.

Topical 

•  Dodwell, Chris, et al. Planning for NDC Implementation: A Quick-Start Guide. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 17 Oct. 2016, https://ndc-guide.cdkn.org/book/planning-for-ndc-implementation-a-quickstart-guide/.
•  UNFCCC, Climate Change Secretariat. "Reference manual for the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement." 2022,
• Published Papers and Reports (to be provided) 

References for Self-Reading 

• Sachs, Jeffrey D. The age of sustainable development. Columbia University Press, 2015. 
• Smil, Vaclav. Grand transitions: How the modern world was made. Oxford University Press, 2021.
• World Economic Forum Water Initiative, Water security: the water-food-energy-climate nexus. Island Press, 2012.