4.7
stars
492 ratings

Harald Winkler

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Climate Change Mitigation in Developing Countries

University of Cape Town

About this Course

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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.

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Intermediate Level

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Intermediate Level

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

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Instructor

Instructor rating

4.72/5 (120 Ratings)

Harald Winkler

Professor

Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town

42,012 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

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.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(5,943 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

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.

3 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 29 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes

Week2

Week 2

2 hours to complete

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 questions: 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.

2 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 52 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

8 videos

Introduction: change through co-production of knowledge9mMotivating change agents in a system6mDesigning the scenario building process8mBuilding scenarios for mitigating climate change13mProcess design in Brazil2mUsing the Chaordic Stepping Stones process7mReflection2mWhat's next1m

1 reading

Week 2: Resources10m

2 practice exercises

Week 2 Practice Quiz30mWeek 2: Mandating and co-production of knowledge30m

Week3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

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.

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 46 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week4

Week 4

3 hours to complete

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.

3 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 65 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

Introduction: mind the gap6mDefining the mitigation gap: global carbon budget8mDeveloping national required-by-science and equity scenarios8mRealising the mitigation gap scenario results8mReasons for the gap: technical perspective7mReasons for the gap: political perspective (part 1)6mReasons for the gap: political perspective (part 2)10mReflection: learning from failures5mWhat's next?2m

2 readings

Technical and political examples10mWeek 4: Resources10m

2 practice exercises

Week 4 Practice Quiz30mWeek 4: Minding the mitigation gap30m

Week5

Week 5

3 hours to complete

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.

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 46 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes

Week6

Week 6

4 hours to complete

Bridges to domestic and international policy

4 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 67 min), 3 readings, 3 quizzes

11 videos

Introduction: MAPS impacts on public policy1mBridge from knowledge to domestic policy8mKnowledge on socio-economic implications of mitigation6mExample on how MAPS Chile results were used for local pollutants domestic policy5mSectoral mitigation action plan in Colombia3mUse of evidence in the Colombian sectorial mitigation plans2mBridge from domestic policy to international contributions2mMAPS Chile informing the INDC7mClimate Change Mitigation discussion with Harald15mReflection2mCourse Conclusion11m

3 readings

Bridge from knowledge to domestic policy examples10mBridge from domestic policy to international contributions examples10mWeek 6: Resources10m

2 practice exercises

Week 6 Practice Quiz30mFinal exam30m

Reviews

4.7

168 reviews

5 stars
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4 stars
20.52%
3 stars
3.65%
2 stars
0.60%
1 star
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TOP REVIEWS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

by CDec 21, 2020

Excellent course, however this needs more practical videos like activities in the field that is why I only watch speakers explaining about the process.

by AMJun 6, 2020

Really , this is quite informative sessions. I have learned a lot and some of the practical implication experiences in a real life... Thanks a lot for such a wonderful course ..

by SLJun 13, 2016

If people can mitigation a climate change the world will be solve the problems . I hope this course can make me clear about climate change in the world . why's climate change ? what's the problems ?

by SVSep 2, 2019

Very practical course that explains the ground-level reality about climate change and how research organizations cope with government, society and industries to get policies implemented.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Climate Change Mitigation in Developing Countries

Climate Change Mitigation in Developing Countries

About this Course