Nuclear Energy, the Environment and Proliferation, Y45.2420 at NYU taught by Chris Gadomski

New York University
School of Continuing and Professional Studies
M.S. Program in Global Affairs
Energy and the Environment , Y45.2430
Summer 2011, Monday/Wednesday, 6:00-9:00pm
May 13, 2011

INSTRUCTOR: Chris Gadomski
http://www.smidirect.net/nyu
OFFICE HOURS: Mondays by appointment
OFFICE PHONE:914.993.9060
E-mail:gadomski@nyu.edu

Course Objective

A paradigm shift has occurred within the context of global warming and climate change over the past 24 months. The debate has shifted from the causes of climate change—human responsibility—to a debate over strategies to curtail further global warming...and now back again. Copenhagen, Cancun and Climategate, to put it mildly, have not helped the debate. Unchanged and central to the debate, however, is how to best curtail green house gases that come from electrical power generation, transportation and the industrial sector using policy, technology and capital.

At the same time that earth's population continues to grow and its inhabitants consume ever increasing amounts of energy, the challenge that has emerged and with which we wrestle now is how to attempt a balance between energy security which provides our current lifestyle and climate security which is threatened by our present consumption patterns. Energy and climate security are on a collision course. For example, to power its expanding economy, China has plans for an additional 800 coal-fired power plants—a method of generating electricity that is most harmful to the environment. The U.S. has taken few initiatives to curb its consumption of fossil fuels—a notable exception being the energy policy act of 2007 ushered in during the final weeks of that year, but the current recession is undermining many efforts.

In the context of competing priorities—energy and the environment—we will plunge into the scientific evidence of climate change and mankind’s contribution—both transportation and power generation—to define the culprits. What are green house gases (GHG), from where do they come, how can we reduce or eliminate them? What are the solutions here in North America? How do they differ from solutions elsewhere in the globe—notably Asia? Besides the atmosphere, what concerns exist for spoiling the land and the oceans?

I challenge you to think critically about the environment and to be able to become comfortable quantifying what is happening to the environment. A key objective will be becoming well versed in parts per billion, tons of CO2 emissions, and millions of barrels of oil equivalent. Look around you; start to view our society through an energy and environment prism. Consider global economic competition and our social responsibility, and imagine what might be effective strategies for wrestling with growing energy needs and our increasingly vulnerable global environment.

Course Structure

We will learn about energy and its impact on the environment through class lectures, a focused reading list, independent research and class discussion. We start with great books and the daily newspapers that will form the foundation for our class lectures and discussions. We will complete our course with a semester-long individual project that will examine real world energy/environment issues in an in-depth and quantifiable way.

Required Reading

A book list has not been provided to the bookstore. For a direct link to Amazon, visit: http://www.smidirect.net/nyu/books-env.htm

• Mark Maslin, Global Warming, A Very Short Introduction, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004) ISBN 0-19-284097-5
• Jeff Goodell, Big Coal, (First Mariner Books, 2007)
• Travis Bradford, Solar Revolution, (The MIT Press, 2006)
• William Tucker, Terrestrial Energy (Bartleby Press, 2008)
• Mark Smith, Climate Change and the Energy Crunch (Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, October 2010) 978-1-905962-90-7 http://www.da.mod.uk/colleges/arag/document-listings/special/Special%20Series_10_13_Web.pdf/view
• http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/03/energy-issue/table-of-contents
• The Wall Street Journal, or The Financial Times, or The New York Times. Bring relevant articles to each class for discussion.

Class Preparation

See class calendar for class topics/assignments. http://www.smidirect.net/nyu/Cal_summer_2011_ee.html This is an applied, rather than theoretical class, so don't be afraid to look around you for opportunities to draw from your surroundings and affect change. Be prepared for every class, as I will open each class by asking you to summarize the topic of the day and to relate news stories you have clipped to present or past discussions. If you are not prepared, letting me know ahead of time will save us both some embarrassment. 33% of your grade will be from class participation and discussion, and to get an “A” in this class you need to be a vocal and enlightened contributor. It is important that you read the material before class and voice your opinions in class. I will routinely post supplementary material to the class home page or to the NYU blackboard. Check regularly. I intend to give a mid-term, plus a final.

Your Grade

I will grade you on the following each worth 33%.

• Class Attendance and Participation
• Midterm/Final
• Semester Project Paper/ Presentation

Semester Project

There is growing anti-nuclear sentiment around the world in the wake of the March 11, 2011 Fukushima event. Several nuclear reactors are being reviewed for closure in Germany. In the US, Entergy's Indian Point and Vermont Yankee are being challenged, as are the San Onofre and the Diablo Canyon plants in California. Each of these plants provides tremendous amounts of energy. Form a team of three students and devise a strategy for replacing the energy these plants now provide.

Helpful Hints: The goal of this exercise is becoming an expert on a controversial aspect of the energy and environment debate. You must quantify your results as best as you can. This is not about theory; it is more about real world issues that can be quantified. I want you to immerse yourself in the numbers. If you have any questions see me right away.

Getting It Done

All papers and assignments must be handed in in class, and all written work MUST be submitted electronically using the new Assignment tool. Please pay particular attention to the presentation of your paper. I expect professional presentations that include an Executive Summary, subheads, plenty of data, appropriate charts, footnotes at the bottom of each page, and your recommendations. Part of my goal is to get you to think, write and present concisely.

Don’t be absent. Missing class will adversely affect your grade. Participate in class discussions—it is necessary for getting an A.

Please visit http://www.smidirect.net/nyu/index.htm this website will supplement the blackboard. Please download the student personal page, embed a picture and submit it during the next class.

It is the express policy of the class that no late assignments will be accepted under any circumstances. I expect each student to bear individual responsibility for his or her work and to uphold the ideal of academic integrity.

Regarding academic integrity…make sure not to plagiarize anyone else’s work either intentionally or unintentionally.

Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as though it were one’s own. More specifically, plagiarism is to present as one’s own a sequence of words quoted without quotation marks from another writer; a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work; creative images, artwork, or design; or facts or ideas gathered, organized, and reported by someone else, orally and/or in writing and not providing proper attribution. Since plagiarism is a matter of fact, not of the student’s intention, it is crucial that acknowledgement of the sources be accurate and complete. Even where there is no conscious intention to deceive, the failure to make appropriate acknowledgment constitutes plagiarism. Penalties for plagiarism range from failure for a paper or course to dismissal from the University.

I look forward to learning a lot with you and having fun this semester.

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New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies M.S. Program in Global Affairs Energy and the Environment , Y45.2430 Summer 2011, Monday/Wednesday, 6:00-9:00pm May 13, 2011

INSTRUCTOR: Chris Gadomski http://www.smidirect.net/nyu OFFICE HOURS: Mondays by appointment OFFICE PHONE:914.993.9060 E-mail:gadomski@nyu.edu