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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2015/2016

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Postgraduate Courses (School of GeoSciences)

Postgraduate Course: Climate Change Mitigation (online) (PGGE11207)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course typeOnline Distance Learning AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course examines climate change mitigation and solutions, covering technology, policy and scientific understanding. This course examines climate change mitigation at a range of scales from geoengineering to microgeneration. It explores the role of science and technology in carbon management and the interactions of other drivers (e.g. land use and N deposition) with carbon management policy and ethics. It includes coverage of national targets and scenarios, local and household mitigation, and examines feasibility and implementation of carbon reduction projects such as wind energy, forestry and anaerobic digestion.
Course description Please note that there are two live group exercise for this course and group catch-ups are held twice weekly. You are encouraged to attend these. All dates for lectures and Hangouts can be found in the Course Handbook.

Lecture 1: Introduction to Climate Change Mitigation
Lecture 2: The Three Domains of Sustainable Development
Lecture 3: Policy Mechanisms
Lecture 4: Scottish Climate Change Policy
Lecture 5: Annual COP Update
Lecture 6: Introduction to Sectorial Mitigation Strategies
Lecture 7: Renewable Energy: the State-of-the-Art
Lecture 8: Energy, Waste and Recycling
Lecture 9: Climate Change and the Built Environment
Lecture 10: Solar Cities, Buildings and Communities: The Future
Lecture 11: People and Climate Change
Lecture 12: REDD
Lecture 13: GeoEngineering
Lecture 14: Non-CO2 Mitigation
Lecture 15: IPCC WGIII Summary
Lecture 16: Group Exercise
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements This course is only available to students studying the online Certificate in Climate Change Management, the online MSc in Carbon Management or the online MSc in Global Challenges. Students are not permitted to audit this course unless formally agreed with the course organiser.
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 2
Course Start Date 11/01/2016
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Online Activities 40, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 156 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Blog assignment (consisting of three blogs over the course of the semester) - allocated in week 2, submitted in week 9 (30%)
Essay assignment (consisting of a maximum of 1,000 words) - allocated in week 4, submitted in week 7 (20 %).
Final report (consisting of a maximum of 3,000 words) - allocated in week 8, submitted in week 11 (50%).
Feedback Written feedback on first two assignments will be provided within 2 weeks of submission.
Written feedback on the final report will be provided within 3 weeks of submission.
The academic team also rely on feedback from you to help them continually improve the course. This feedback can be given either direct to the course director, or via a class representative.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Understand global, national and local climate change mitigation policies at a high-level and be familiar with non-CO2 greenhouse gases and their mitigation.
  2. Evaluate the importance of interactions on the global carbon cycle with climate change, land-use and other key global change drivers (N deposition), including potential for geoengineering of climate.
  3. Understand low and zero carbon technologies.
  4. Understand projected emissions and targets, UK/Scottish commitments and policies, regional, local and household emissions reductions and incentives.
  5. Understand the implementation of emission reduction projects such forestry and renewable energy.
Reading List
'Ten Technologies to Fix Energy and Climate' by Chris Goodall

Summary for Policymakers, IPCC Working Group III (2014)

'Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air' (David McKay)

'Geoengineering the Climate' (Royal Society)
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Cognitive Skills:
The course deepens and develops the numerical skills, analytical skills and skills of synthesis and presentation.

Subject Specific Skills:
On completion of the course, students should be able to make an assessment of the key climate change mitigation strategies available to a business or industry sector and to have the necessary knowledge and skills to recommend an effective suite of such strategies. They should also be aware of the barriers to and incentives for emissions reduction projects.
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr David Reay
Tel: (0131 6)50 7722
Email: David.Reay@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Alice Heatley
Tel: (0131 6)50 4866
Email: alice.heatley@ed.ac.uk
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