Postgraduate Course: Climate Change Mitigation (online) (PGGE11207)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This 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 & technology, economics and innovation in carbon management and the interactions of other drivers (e.g. land-use change, energy access & security, economic development) with carbon management policy and ethics. It includes coverage of international and national targets and scenarios, local and household mitigation, and examines feasibility and implementation of carbon reduction projects such as wind energy, solar PV, forestry and anaerobic digestion. |
| Course description |
This course considers climate change mitigation at a range of scales from the local to global and includes an array of options and technologies including renewable energy sources (RES), infrastructure, energy efficiency, waste management, reforestation and land-use change, blue carbon and geoengineering. The focus is global though examples will frequently draw upon experience in Scotland, the UK and other parts of Europe.
The course explores the means of managing emissions within known carbon budgets, therefore requiring deep greenhouse gas emission cuts and achievement of carbon neutrality (= net carbon zero) by mid-21st century. Looking within sectors it explores established and proposed mitigation solutions, including key social and technological aspects of these. It compares the relative emissions reductions possible across different sectors at a global scale and goes on to consider just transition challenges associated with these changes and how policy at global and national scales is or isn't addressing them.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course is only available to students enrolled on PG Cert Climate Change Management (Online Learning) or MSc Climate Change Management (Online Learning). Students are not permitted to audit this course unless formally agreed with the Course Organiser. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 32 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
| Course Start Date |
12/01/2026 |
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 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework 100%
Podcast Assignment - (30%)
Deadline: 12:00 noon UK time on 23rd February
Final Report (consisting of a maximum of 3,000 words) - (70%)
Deadline: 12:00 noon UK time on 30th March
AI tools may be used to identify ideas, key themes, and plan your assessment, but not to generate content. If you use AI, you must acknowledge it in your submission. |
| Feedback |
Feedback on all assignments 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 directly to the Course Organiser, Tutor, Programme Director or via a class representative.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand global, national and local climate change mitigation policies and measures at a high-level, including projected emissions and targets
- Understand the range and potential of low and zero carbon technologies
- Be familiar with non-CO2 greenhouse gases and their mitigation
- Evaluate the potential for geoengineering of climate
- Think criticaly about greenhouse gas control using environmental, techno-scientific, socio-economic, political and cultural frameworks and criteria
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Reading List
Mitigation of Climate Change. Summary for Policymakers, IPCC Working Group III (2022)
Emissions Gap Report. UNEP (2024)
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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 / industry sector or government department and to have the necessary knowledge and skills to recommend an effective suite of such strategies. This includes an awareness of the incentives for, and barriers to, low-carbon technology and emission reduction policies.
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| Additional Class Delivery Information |
This course runs for 11 weeks, including a reading week in week 6. Course delivery includes three one-hour tutorial slots during each week (excluding reading week). All tutorials will take place on Collaborate. Tutorials will be recorded. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof David Reay
Tel: (0131 6)50 7722
Email: David.Reay@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Katherine Ingram
Tel:
Email: Katherine.Ingram@ed.ac.uk |
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