About this course: This course challenges you to consider how one might lift societies out of poverty while also mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. We explore the inherent complexity of developing country governments wanting to grow their economies in a climate friendly way. You will be introduced to an approach with which to address this challenge. The approach consists of a facilitated process whereby academic researchers and high-level influential actors within society co-produce knowledge. You will track this process in four Latin American countries - Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and South Africa. You will hear from various professionals about their contexts and the different challenges and opportunities the process includes. This course will cover topics such as facilitation process techniques, energy modeling, scenario building, innovation and policy making. You will have the opportunity to respond to these topics with ideas and reflection from your own context. Whether you are a climate change practitioner, work in development or are simply curious about how climate mitigation is understood, this course will give you insights into the complexity of how countries from the South pursue development goals while addressing climate mitigation. The course is free to enroll and take. You will be offered the option of purchasing a certificate of completion, which you become eligible for if you successfully complete the course requirements. This can be an excellent way of staying motivated! Financial Aid is also available.
Created by: University of Cape Town
Taught by: Professor Harald Winkler , Director
Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town
| Level | Intermediate |
| Commitment | 6 weeks of study, 1-3 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Complexity of climate change mitigation
Climate change and development both involve many complex problems. Each are 'wicked' problems, meaning they defy easy solutions. Tackling both development and climate change together is a 'super-wicked' problem. But we must start by taking a first step to responding to this 'super-wicked' problem. To do this we’ll share our experiments drawing particularly on the MAPS community, which includes Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and South Africa.
6 videos, 4 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Introduction to climate mitigation
- Reading: Meet your instructors
- Reading: How this course works
- Discussion Prompt: Introduce yourself
- Video: Complexity of climate change and development
- Video: Climate change - a super wicked problem
- Video: Our theory of change
- Reading: What is the MAPS programme?
- Video: MAPS 101: the MAPS approach
- Reading: Week 1: Resources
- Video: Reflection and what's next
- Practice Quiz: Week 1 Practice Quiz
- Discussion Prompt: Week 1: your questions on super wicked problems
Graded: Week 1 writing task: Complex problems
WEEK 2
Mandating and co-production of knowledge
Our approach to mitigation and development is essentially a process that spurs change within a system. The premise is that change happens through co-production of knowledge, which in turn encourages action by actors in a system. We ask the question: what is the best way to start such an intervention? What could the intervention look like? What are the options for the process design? This week we review the role a Scenario Building Team has to play in supporting knowledge generation.
8 videos, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Introduction: change though co-production of knowledge
- Discussion Prompt: Change and how it happens
- Video: Motivating change agents in a system
- Video: Designing the scenario building process
- Video: Building scenarios for mitigating climate change
- Video: Process design in Brazil
- Video: Using the Chaordic Stepping Stones process
- Video: Reflection
- Reading: Week 2: Resources
- Video: What's next
- Practice Quiz: Week 2 Practice Quiz
Graded: Week 2 Graded Quiz
WEEK 3
Mitigation action research and modelling
Knowledge generated through research can effect change. We describe the models and tools that are available to support the generation of this knowledge. Apart from knowledge related to greenhouse gas mitigation and the costs thereof, we are interested in the positive and negative developmental impacts of moving to a low carbon economy. Emissions and costs are relatively easy to quantify but developmental impacts are less easily quantified. This week, we explore how this challenge can be addressed.
8 videos, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Introduction
- Discussion Prompt: Seeking and producing research
- Video: Types of models
- Video: Model selection and sourcing of data
- Video: Communicating the model outputs
- Video: Who does the modelling?
- Video: Building development pathways in Peru
- Video: Reflection
- Reading: Week 3: Resources
- Video: What's next
- Practice Quiz: Week 3 Practice Quiz
- Discussion Prompt: Week 3: your questions on research and modelling
Graded: Week 3 writing task: Models
WEEK 4
Minding the mitigation gap
What happens when your best efforts are not good enough? We will look at the ‘gaps’ between where we would like to be and where we are.The direction emission trends are headed is a function of everything put into the model (such as population, growth and GDP, and technology). Yet what is required by science is driven by considerations such as how we need to reduce emissions to keep temperature rises below two degrees. This week, in exploring some of the potential reasons for this gap we consider technical reasons and other pushbacks, like vested-interests, political or inherent human behaviour.
9 videos, 2 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Introduction: mind the gap
- Discussion Prompt: Learning from setbacks and failure
- Video: Defining the mitigation gap: global carbon budget
- Video: Developing national required-by-science and equity scenarios
- Video: Realising the mitigation gap scenario results
- Reading: Technical and political examples
- Video: Reasons for the gap: technical perspective
- Video: Reasons for the gap: political perspective (part 1)
- Video: Reasons for the gap: political perspective (part 2)
- Video: Reflection: learning from failures
- Reading: Week 4: Resources
- Video: What's next?
- Discussion Prompt: Week 4: your questions on the mitigation gap
- Practice Quiz: Week 4 Practice Quiz
Graded: Week 4 Graded Quiz
WEEK 5
Responding to mitigation challenges
There are limitations within our existing toolsets and ways of thinking how we might address the mitigation gap. We need to look more closely at the interface of economic and development pathways and to question the way in which climate change mitigation professionals are approaching this huge and complex climate and development problem. Responses to these challenges include linking of economic and mitigation model to better understand the interconnectedness of mitigation policies and economic development, and involves out-of-the-box thinking when imagining climate and development solutions of the future. This week we hope to inspire innovations and responses to challenges in the climate mitigation and development community.
8 videos, 3 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Introduction: responding to mitigation challenges
- Discussion Prompt: Thinking and innovating
- Reading: Technical and systemic approaches
- Video: Improving tools
- Video: Looking at science
- Reading: Responses at local and project levels
- Video: New perspectives
- Video: Looking to the future
- Video: The next generation
- Video: Reflection
- Reading: Week 5: Resources
- Video: What's next?
- Practice Quiz: Week 5 Practice Quiz
- Discussion Prompt: Week 5: your questions on responding to mitigation challenges
Graded: Week 5 writing task: Innovations
WEEK 6
Bridges to domestic and international policy
This is the final module and it tells the story of how we have moved to the end of the scenario building process, and what the impacts of this approach are. This week we speak of two bridges: the bridge between knowledge and domestic policy, and domestic policy and international contributions.
11 videos, 3 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Introduction: MAPS impacts on public policy
- Discussion Prompt: Developing a climate mitigation policy
- Reading: Bridge from knowledge to domestic policy examples
- Video: Bridge from knowledge to domestic policy
- Video: Knowledge on socio-economic implications of mitigation
- Video: Example on how MAPS Chile results were used for local pollutants domestic policy
- Reading: Bridge from domestic policy to international contributions examples
- Video: Sectoral mitigation action plan in Colombia
- Video: Use of evidence in the Colombian sectorial mitigation plans
- Video: Bridge from domestic policy to international contributions
- Video: MAPS Chile informing the INDC
- Video: Climate Change Mitigation discussion with Harald
- Video: Reflection
- Reading: Week 6: Resources
- Discussion Prompt: Sharing your written assignments
- Practice Quiz: Week 6 Practice Quiz
- Video: Course Conclusion
Graded: Final exam
Graded: Honors writing task: Policies
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Creators
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is the oldest university in South Africa and is one of the leading research universities on the African continent. UCT has over 25 000 students, of whom 30% are postgraduate students. We offer degrees in six faculties: Commerce, Engineering & the Built Environment, Health Sciences, Humanities, Law, and Science. We pride ourself on our diverse student body, which reflects the many cultures and backgrounds of the region. We welcome international students and are currently home to thousands of international students from over 100 countries. UCT has a tradition of academic excellence that is respected world-wide and is privileged to have more than 30 A-rated researchers on our staff, all of whom are recognised as world leaders in their field. Our aim is to ensure that our research contributes to the public good through sharing knowledge for the benefit of society. Past students include five Nobel Laureates – Max Theiler, Alan Cormack, Sir Aaron Klug, Ralph Bunche and, most recently, J M Coetzee.
Ratings and Reviews
This was a very informative and professionally developed course, I probably learnt alot more than expected.
The MAPS approach and the 'modus operandi' will go along way in enhancing my work. I am already thinking of applying the MAPS approach in developing Sustainable Land Management scenarios for the Great Green Wall Initiative that I coordinate. Will like to have contacts with the MAPS team.
My address : elvispaulT@africa-union.org
Es un gran curso para comprender los retos que enfrentamos para lograr mitigar el cambio climático, así mismo brinda una visión de las herramientas necesarias para lograr una mayor divulgación de conocimientos relacionados con el tema.
great one , learning a lot about climate change .
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the course has been very informative and provided me with knowledge i can take forward for my own studies. The understand of climate change and its complexity is better understood and reason why there are many sceptical to tackle the issue. the idea of super wicked problem which climate change has clear and how this can be dealt with looking at all interest of stakeholders involved.