Lecture 8: Extreme Weather

Brief

Professor Daniel Schrag's Lecture 8 (Belfer Center, 2026-06-24) is a classroom-format presentation explaining how human-driven climate change alters temperatures and precipitation, thereby amplifying extreme weather—hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, heatwaves, and floods. The lecture is part of the five‑professor Harvard course 'The Energy‑Climate Challenge,' which centers on U.S.–China emissions dynamics.

Why it matters

Professor Daniel Schrag (Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology and Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering) in Lecture 8 (Belfer Center, published 2026-06-24) connects anthropogenic climate change to altered temperature and precipitation patterns that increase the intensity and frequency of hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, heatwaves, and flooding.

Key details

Lecture 8 is part of the five‑professor Harvard Kennedy School course 'The Energy‑Climate Challenge' (focused on the United States and China); the video was produced by Alex Griswold, supported by Energy Foundation China, and a Chinese‑language version is available.

In "The Energy-Climate Challenge," five Harvard Kennedy School professors explain the fundamentals of climate change, the role of our energy systems in causing it, and the policy and technology options for addressing it. This course focuses on the United States and China, the world's two largest carbon-emitting countries.

In Lecture 8 of the series, Professor Daniel Schrag, Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology and Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, explains how climate change affects temperatures and precipitation, contributing to extreme weather events such as hurricanes, wildfires, drought, heatwaves, and flooding.

Chinese-Language Version (中文版): https://youtu.be/VEMK8c_ZpqM

Video Production: Alex Griswold

The Belfer Center gratefully acknowledges the support of Energy Foundation China for this course.

Channel: Belfer Center
Published: 2026-06-24
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uJuttNhBNM