Developing and maintaining a habitable Earth: A global challenge?

Did you ever wonder how we got here and where we are going? This course examines how the Earth became habitable for humans after 4.5 billion years of history and where we are headed as we continue to alter the Earth's livable environment. The Earth as we know it today is itself a highly tuned system of linked fluid (oceans and atmosphere) and solid (rock) envelopes that interact to maintain a highly hospitable environment for advanced life forms and civilization. From water to food to energy and mineral resources, we rely on our planet. Was this synergy always the case? Will it continue this way? We will explore how the Earth became habitable, specifically examining how those conditions arose and how they might change in the future, exploring what might happen when we perturb this system. How will the Earth respond and over what time scales? This course, taught by earth scientists who want to continue making our planet habitable for future generations, will also give you the hands on working knowledge of the Earth system and its evolution, and the tools and models we use to understand today's delicately balanced Earth system. It is our hope that at the end of this course you will have deep insights into your origins, your place in the universe, and how best to ensure that Earth remains our home.