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This website features work from the completion of Phase 1 of the SCALES Project.

We are currently seeking partnerships for Phase 2.

Know Your Planet

  • Assignment 1 The Earth’s Radiation Budget

    The global energy balance is important for Earth's climate. When visible radiation from the Sun reaches the Earth, some of it is reflected or scattered directly back into space as shortwave radiation (the percent reflected is known as albedo) and some of it is absorbed. In the absence of clouds, absorption happens mainly at the surface. The absorbed energy warms the Earth's surface, which, in turn, emits this energy at a longer wavelength (infrared rather than visible light).

    The purpose of this assignment is to get you thinking about the Earth's radiation budget and the sorts of phenomena which may influence that budget. The description of the datasets is taken from a class taught by Schlosser, Pfirman and Ting at Columbia University.

    Read more: Assignment 1 The Earth’s Radiation Budget

  • Paper Two

    Write a paper on one of the topics below. A strong paper will move beyond answering the question to advancing and defending an argument of your own about why the dynamics you discuss unfold as they do.

    Read more: Paper Two

  • Paper One

    Write a 7-page paper on one of the topics below. A strong paper will move beyond answering the question to advancing and defending an argument of your own about why the dynamics you discuss unfold as they do.

    Read more: Paper One

  • Problem Set 7

    Problem set from the course Energy Economics

    Read more: Problem Set 7

  • Problem Set 6

    Problem set from the course Energy Economics.

    Read more: Problem Set 6

  • Problem Set 5

    Problem set from the course Energy Economics.

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  • Problem Set 4

    Problem set for the cousre Energy Economics

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  • Problem Set 3

    Problem set for the course Energy Economics

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  • Problem Set 2

    This problem set reviews your knowledge of multivariate regression analysis. 

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  • Public Participation and Group Decision-Making

    There is an ongoing debate between political philosophers and dispute resolution professionals regarding the most appropriate means of conceptualizing the public interest (with regards to the use of natural resources or patterns of urban development). The philosophers believe "deliberative polling" that provides a snapshot of what the "average citizen" prefers should be sufficient for elected officials to determine what actions to take in the public interest. Dispute resolution professionals argue the public interest can best be understood as the product of a consensus building dialogue among contending interests (not individuals) and that public officials armed with polling data can never know or produce on their own the public interest.

    Read more: Public Participation and Group Decision-Making

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