University of Reading and Met Office - EPQ stimulus ideas on climate change

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai

EPQ stimulus material from the University of Reading and the Met Office provides research directions for projects linked to climate change. It outlines potential outcomes such as a dissertation using secondary literature, a field investigation using primary data analysis, an artefact created to meet a climate-related need, or a performance targeted to a specific audience. The text explains why adaptation is necessary, how climate predictions are produced with climate models, and why forecasts remain uncertain due to ensemble methods and differences between models.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

EPQ stimulus ideas for climate change

Choosing an EPQ outcome: dissertation, investigation, artefact, or performance

Making predictions for future community climates

Climate models and future scenarios

Building and resolution trade-offs in climate models

Why climate predictions are uncertain

University of Reading and Met Office This document provides stimulus ideas and suggestions for further research for EPQs based on themes relating to climate change. These could take the form of dissertations based on secondary literature, investigation / field study in which a learner accesses sources of primary data and carries out their own data analysis in relation to a chosen research question or hypothesis, an artefact in which a learner works on the creation of a product (e.g. a piece of software) that meets a specific need related to climate change, or a performance, where a learner creates performance work that relates the challenge of responding to climate change to a specific audience. Climate change is affecting the lives of individuals and communities right now, right around the world. For this reason, many people are interested in finding out more about our changing climate but knowing where to go for authoritative information can feel daunting, so we wanted to help. If you’re considering doing an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) related to climate change, you might find some of the information and links provided below useful in helping you decide on your title and plan your project. Which ones are most useful for you might depend on what your EPQ outcome is – be it a dissertation, investigation / field study, performance of artefact. For example, if you’re someone who wants to develop experience in coding and data analysis as part of your EPQ and are planning to undertake an investigation / field study, then getting to grips with climate data and investigating how climate change is going to impact something that’s important to you might bean option. Alternatively, if you are someone who wants to develop a performance for your outcome, then the information below might help you form your creative brief that you then explore. Making predictions about how a changing climate will affect your community Climate change caused by humans is unequivocal. While it is important to do everything we canto change behaviours to limit the eventual rise of global temperatures, we all need to prepare for a future with a different climate. Even with rapid action to limit greenhouse gas emissions, temperature would continue to rise because many parts of the Earth system like the ocean and ice (or cryosphere) are slow to respond to the changing climate. The greenhouse gas pollution already emitted by humans will be around in the atmosphere for a long-time without a costly programme to remove it. This means that all societies will need to develop ways to adapt to a different, warmer climate. How do we make predictions about what climate will look like in the future? The main tool that climate scientists use to make predictions about the future are climate models. Climate models use powerful computers to simulate the physical and mathematical equations which tell us how air, water, ice and other parts of the Earth system change and interact. At the Met Office, the same basic model is used to produce both the weather forecasts that you use every day and climate predictions. To make a prediction about the future with a climate model you need two key ingredients, the model itself and a prediction about how future societies will choose to develop, how large their emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants will be and what other changes they will make to the Earth system (for example by changing how land is used) . Producing these future scenarios is a complex task that requires a different set of models designed to capture the complexity of links between human society, economies and the environment. Typically, a set of climate predictions might involve asking your climate model to simulate the recent climate past (to test which parts of the climate system it simulates well and which parts it doesn’t) and then making several predictions about the future with different emissions scenarios. Building a climate m

FAQs

What EPQ outcomes are suggested for climate change projects?

The document suggests EPQs that can take the form of a dissertation, an investigation/field study with primary data analysis, an artefact (for example software) meeting a climate-related need, or a performance for a specific audience.

How do climate scientists make predictions about the future?

They use climate models running on powerful computers to simulate physical and mathematical equations describing interactions across the Earth system, including air, water, ice and other components.

Why are climate predictions uncertain even though they improve planning?

Uncertainty arises because predictions describe patterns over periods rather than exact days, and because model ensembles and different climate models produce variation due to natural variability and differences in modelling choices.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai