Postgraduate Course: Climate Change Management (PGGE11127)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course considers climate change mitigation at a range of scales from the local to global, the role of the public, private and third sectors and includes an array of options and possible technologies including renewables, carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), energy efficiency, demand reduction and geoengineering. The focus is global though examples will frequently draw upon experience in the UK and other parts of Europe. The course explores the role of science in defining the problem of climate change and the need for managing emissions within known carbon budgets, therefore requiring deep greenhouse gas emission cuts. Scenarios of possible future emissions will be presented and analysed and the adequacy of emission control targets at the international and national scales will be presented and critically evaluated. The challenge of the multiple-agendas and drivers at work in addition to climate change in all domains, including 'energy', 'land-use' and 'consumption' will be explored and the implications drawn-out. The key overarching conceptual framework that will be introduced is Michael Grubb's 'three domains / three pillars' analysis. This allows for a coherent approach to understanding carbon mitigation efforts from the behavioural and practice-focused (e.g. energy efficiency), market-based instruments to systemic, larger-scale and longer-term innovation processes. A secondary framework that will be used is 'socio-technical transitions' (also known as the 'multi-level perspective') in order to emphasise the social dimensions of change required. Through using these frameworks, we will also be evaluating the adequacy, effectiveness and fairness of climate change mitigation policies, options, actions and measures. |
| Course description |
Week 1
- Introduction
- Future Emission Pathways and Policy Targets
Week 2
- The Three Domains
- The Three Pillars
Week 3
- The Three Domains and the Three Pillars Applied
- Wind energy - A developers perspective
- TUTORIAL - World Climate Exercise
Week 4
- The solar PV revolution and integrating diverse RE sources into smart grids
- Autarkic urban energy systems
Week 5
- Marine Renewables
- Presentations
Week 6
- ILW
Week 7
- Bioenergy
- CCS
- TUTORIAL The UK Energy Market
Week 8
- Climate Engineering
- Climate Policy Post Paris
- TUTORIAL: Stabilisation Wedges
Week 9
- Non-CO2 GHGs
- Energy Efficiency
Week 10
- REDD
- MACCs - their uses and abuses
- TUTORIAL: Exam preparation
Week 11
- Systemic innovation and socio-technical transitions
- Course Review
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | Students MUST also take:
Dissertation in Carbon Management (PGGE11128)
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| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Any student wishing to take this course who is not on the MSc in Carbon Management programme must seek the permission of the Course Organiser. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2016/17, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Form of Assessment:
- Group presentation on relevant topic - allocated in week 3 for delivery in week 5 (20%).
- Individual business/policy memo allocated in week 7 for delivery in week 8 (20%).
- Take Home Exam- to be completed in 24 hours (60%). |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the concept of carbon budgeting and its application to policy making.
- Understand the major policies, options, measures and technologies for both limiting greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and for reducing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases.
- Comprehend the major sources of CO2 and other greenhouse gases from a socio-economic perspective and to understand key future trends.
- Think critically about greenhouse gas control using environmental, techno-scientific, socio-economic, political and cultural frameworks and criteria.
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Reading List
Students are required to read:
Chapters 1 to 5 and 9 to 12 (inclusive): Michael Grubb, with Jean-Charles Houcarde and Karsten Neuhoff (2014), Planetary Economics: Energy, climate change and the three domains of sustainable development, Routledge.
Other useful texts are:
Grin, J., Rotmans, J. and Schot, J. (2010), Transitions to Sustainable Development: New Directions in the Study of Long Term Transformative Change, Routledge.
Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Summary for Policymakers plus other chapters (or sections thereof) as appropriate. All available free of charge from:
http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg3/
The New Climate Economy: The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate (2014). The Executive Summary and more information on particular topics of interest. Available for free at : http://newclimateeconomy.report/ |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
This course is only available to students studying the MSc in Carbon Management. Students are not permitted to audit this course unless formally agreed with the course organiser. |
| Keywords | PGGE11127 mitigation,renewable energy,geoengineering,methane,nitrous oxide,project developme |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Simon Shackley
Tel: (0131 6)50 7862
Email: simon.shackley@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Karolina Galera
Tel: (0131 6)50 2572
Email: k.galera@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2016 The University of Edinburgh - 3 February 2017 4:54 am
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