Institute For Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions

PROFESSIONAL SHORT COURSE
AUSTRALIA AWARDS, DFAT

4 April – 13 May 2022, Online
18:00 - 20:00 AEST

Supporting informed decision‑making throughout Africa

This course is being delivered under the Australia Awards program. There are no fees associated with submitting an application, nor are there course fees for participants who are selected onto the course.

Applications close 1 March 2022 (11.59pm ADST) 

Conveners: Dr Steve Crimp & Dr Matthew Colloff

Africa is highly sensitive to both existing climate variability and projected climate change. As a result, governments, industries and communities throughout Africa will be increasingly required to respond to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The ANU Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions (ICEDS) has developed this intensive 6‑week online course to provide professionals employed in government, non-government organisations (NGOs) and the private sector in Africa with a synoptic and contextual understanding of climate change adaptation and mitigation options.

Note that this course is available to participants from the following countries (region 1): Mauritius, Comoros, Madagascar, Reunion, Seychelles, South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Republic of Congo, and Zambia.

Additional courses (soon to be advertised) in 2022 and 2023 will be open to participants from other African countries.

As a participant on this course, you will receive a contextual understanding of the science for identifying and defining climate change impacts and vulnerability, development implications, legal frameworks, governance, sectoral contexts and socio-economic rationales underpinning climate change adaptation and mitigation. You will acquire knowledge to assist evidence-based policy development and reform, enhance interpretation and analysis skills, and explore socio-economic impact and policy intervention.

This intensive 6-week online course is highly interactive with a mix of lectures, group activities and interactive sessions, providing participants with formal and informal learning opportunities from leading Australia-based academics.

Module Outline

The course is a highly interactive mix of lectures, practical exercises, workshop sessions and discussions groups. The complexity and intersections of climate change adaptation and mitigation are delivered via 6 weekly modules, incorporating economics, ecology, sustainability, governance, regulation, environment, human rights, gender and social inclusiveness.

Week 1: Why Climate Change Adaptation? Understanding Drivers of Action: Moving from Science to Action

• Lecture – An introduction to systems thinking; systems analysis and climate change vulnerability assessment, including understanding influence diagrams, coastal systems thinking and adaptation exercise.
• Group Activity on systems analysis and climate change vulnerability assessment.
• Introductory Session on Adaptation Action Plan (AAP) development.
• Lecture – What does climate change mean for effective decision-making? Climate change and decision-making: challenges, tensions and opportunities.
• Lecture – Climate change governance: implications for action.

Week 2: Climate Change Adaptation Science

• Lecture – What is climate change and variability in the African context?
• Lecture – Data gaps, consistencies/inconsistencies and tensions in complex African contexts.
• Group Activity – Climate Change Adaptation Pathways, Co‑Dependencies and Real Options.
• Adaptation Action Plan (AAP) development drop-in session.

Week 3: Sectoral Adaptation Responses

• Lecture – Agriculture, fisheries and climate change, food production, security and value chains.
• Lecture - Health and climate change in high and low-income countries.
• Lecture - Water management and climate change and other conflicts.
• Adaptation Action Plan (AAP) development drop-in session. 
  

Week 4: Integrated Adaptation Policy Responses

• Lecture – Defining ‘adaptation policy’ and role of institutions.
• Lecture – Different approaches to, ecosystem-based adaptation.
• Lecture – OneHealth or SDGs as a framing for integrated climate change adaptation responses.
• Adaptation Action Plan (AAP) development session.

Week 5: Stakeholder and Social Inclusion

• Lecture – Social network theory lecture and practical activity using social network analysis.
• Lecture – Gender and the climate? How does gender affect people's ability to respond to climate change? How should gender be approached in climate change adaptation plans?
• Lecture and group activity – Psychology of adapting to climate change.
• Adaptation Action Plan (AAP) development session.
  

Week 6: Integration and AAP Completion

• Group Session – comparison of participants’ assessment of their national adaptation strategies.
• AAPs final development.
• AAP presentations.
• Closing ceremony.
  

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, it is expected that participants who successfully completed all tasks will have the following skills and knowledge:

• Understanding of the key foundational and advanced concepts/practices required for effective climate change adaptation policy development and implementation, and a comprehension of the political, socioeconomic, regional and international risks, costs and benefits these may entail.
• Understanding of the science behind climate change impact and vulnerability assessment, including data collection and monitoring/surveillance mechanisms for assessing the status of environmental changes.
• Experience of methods and tools for developing and accessing climate change adaptation options with stakeholders.
• Understanding of the management of the environment, regulation, and legal aspects of governance as socio-ecological systems in which human behaviour management is an intrinsic component.
• Awareness of how to identify and critically consider the core components of international and regional legal frameworks, treaties and institutions for responding to climate change for African policy makers, including adaptation financing.
• Appreciation of the complexities of national and regional coordination around climate change adaptation at different scales of governance, from the complexities of effective engagement with traditionally marginalised stakeholders, to the complexities of multi-lateral action.
• Understanding of the shared challenges and contextual differences in climate change adaptation across the African continent and the regional and national legal and policy responses in the region.

Adaptation Action Plan

The Adaptation Action Plan (AAP) activity will occur each Friday and will be co-ordinated by Dr Matthew Colloff.  Participants will be expected to identify a climate change adaptation activity that is directly relevant to their institution or community. Over the first five weeks of the course, participants will be supported to develop their AAP by applying a collaborative conceptual modelling approach to summarise: the type of adaptation activity they wish to focus on, who the active stakeholders would be, what the activities will entail, timelines, and expected outcomes. The development of the AAP is self-directed but with support from Dr Colloff. In week 6, participants will present their AAPs (via a PowerPoint presentation) in front of an ANU and DFAT audience. Presentation of the AAP is a mandatory requirement to qualify for a certificate of completion for this course.

Workloads and Completion Requirements

This course will be online and delivered over 6 weeks in April-May 2022.

Each week, participants must attend:

• 2 or 3 (1 hour) lectures
• 1 collaborative modelling group activity (1 hour)
• 1 interactive session (1 hour)
• 2 hours of individual work on their course assignment (an Adaptation Action Plan [AAP]), with the option of attending the weekly 15-minute drop in session with the AAP coordinator.

A weekly breakdown of the first 5 weeks of the course would notionally look like this:

• Monday – Lecture 1 & Lecture 2 (2-hour block)
• Tuesday – no organised sessions (time available for individual work)
• Wednesday – Lecture 3 & Interactive session (2-hour block)
• Thursday – no organised sessions (time available for individual work)
• Friday – Group Activity & Optional Drop in Session (2-hour block, with drop in session optional)

Week 6 of the course is focused on each participant presenting their Adaptation Action Plan to the other participants, lecturers and government representatives.

Overall, participants will spend a minimum of 37 hours on the course. This includes approximately 7 hours per week in weeks 1-5 on the course (i.e. 3 hours in lectures, 2 hours of interactive and group sessions, 2 hours of individual work on AAP and preparation for Group Activity sessions), plus the presentation of their AAP in week 6 (at least 2 hours).

To qualify for a Certificate of Participation from the course, participants must (as a minimum):

• Develop and present a satisfactory Adaptation Action Plan (AAP).
• Engage in the course online discussion forums.
• Attend a minimum of 50% of the course’s online sessions (recordings available for all sessions).
• Complete the course surveys.

Course Requisites

To participate in this course, you must be based within one of the specified countries (listed above).

The course will be taught in English, and participants must have English language proficiency (written and spoken).

Participants are expected to hold a professional mid- or senior-level position in policy, practice, research or reform, whether in government, civil society or the private sector. We expect participants to have completed secondary schooling and at least three years’ tertiary education, have at least three to five years of work experience at mid- to senior-levels, and have a reasonably good understanding of the subject matter.

As participation in this course is likely to intersect with your work duties, we require you to submit a letter of support from your workplace as part of your application for this course. See the attached sample letter for guidance. The letter should reflect a clear understanding of the commitment of a minimum of 37 hours of course participation.

Who Should Enrol

We encourage professionals working in government, NGOs or private business on issues related to climate change adaptation, mitigation and/or disaster recovery to enrol.

For more information about the course, please contact:

Rachel England

ICEDS Executive Education Coordinator
Email: rachel.england@anu.edu.au

24-25 November 2021, 9am - 5pm AEST

Delivery: In-person (Diplomatic Academy, 44 Sydney Avenue, Forrest ACT).

Note that if in-person delivery is not practicable under COVID-19 government health requirements, the course will be delivered online 22-26 November 2021 at scheduled times (resulting in the same overall time commitment).

How to Apply: To express your interest in participating in this course, click the ‘Apply Now’ button and complete the short questionnaire. All applications will be reviewed for suitability, and applicants will be informed of the outcome of this review by email. Application close 5pm, Sunday 14 November 2021.

Course Conveners: Victoria Wheeler (Assistant Director, Climate and Development Integration Unit). Email Victoria.Wheeler@dfat.gov.au or
climate.integration@dfat.gov.au

Rachel England (ANU Course Convener). Email Rachel.England@anu.edu.au

Climate change is the most significant environmental, social and economic challenge of our time. Across the Indo-Pacific region, communities are increasingly challenged by the diverse and multiple physical impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, increasing frequency and intensity of cyclones, droughts, floods and storm surges, ambient heat waves, warming sea temperatures, and ocean acidification, and the resultant impacts on community cohesion and wellbeing. Climate change is also exacerbating many existing problems in the region, such as loss of biodiversity, pollution, regional peace and security, chronic poverty, gender and social inequality, humanitarian responses to natural hazards and pandemics, and inadequate essential services such as health care, education, infrastructure, social protection, and food and water security.

Committed to the United Nations’ 2015-2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement, Australia is increasing its work to support its neighbours in the Indo-Pacific tackle these climate change challenges. Innovative and decisive action is needed across the Indo-Pacific to minimise the risks of climate change on people and places, to keep the Paris goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C within reach, and to shift to a sustainable, low‑carbon, net zero future. Australia, with decades of experience supporting countries and territories of this region to strengthen their health, social, environmental and economic security and stability, is in a strong position to continue supporting partner countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and build community resilience.

Two Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) policies outline Australia’s approach to tackling climate change abroad through Australia’s development assistance program – they are, Partnerships for Recovery: Australia’s COVID-19 Development Response (2020) and Climate Change Action Strategy 2020-2025. In line with these policies, DFAT seeks to integrate climate change adaptation thinking across the Department. DFAT’s Climate Action Strategy sets three climate objectives to make the best use of our development assistance:

• promote the shift to lower-emissions development in the Indo-Pacific region
• support partner countries to adapt to climate change, and to plan, prepare for and respond to climate related impacts
• support innovative solutions to climate change, including those that engage private sector investment.

In support of these objectives, this two-day short course is focused on climate change adaptation and integration opportunities in development across the Indo-Pacific.

Participating in this Course

We encourage DFAT and other government officials responsible for managing or delivering international climate initiatives in developing countries, with or alongside development assistance, to apply.

As a participant of this course, you will be presented with a series of lectures to expand your understanding of the climate change adaptation challenges of the Indo-Pacific (notably Pacific Island countries, Southeast Asia and South Asia) within a development context. The lecturers are selected academic and industry professionals from the Australian National University and elsewhere, who specialise in climate change adaptation and policy integration.

As a participant, you will also be facilitated through a variety of activities that are designed to explore a range of critical climate change considerations for Australia’s development program across different sectors and clusters. These include climate economics, food security, agriculture, tourism and governance, human security, health, water and sanitation, infrastructure, urban planning, gender equality and social inclusion. Through peer-to-peer learning and group-based discussions, you will share your experiences of working within Australia’s development program, and form a network of colleagues to support your ongoing efforts in integrating climate change adaptation thinking into your everyday work.

All participants will be asked to complete a Pre-Course Survey and a Post-Course Survey as part of this course. Confidentiality, privacy and consent information is specified on each survey form.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, it is expected that a fully engaged participant will have the following learning outcomes:

• Skills to integrate climate change considerations across the aid management cycle.
• A broad understanding of current and future climate change impacts in the Indo-Pacific regions (primarily Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Pacific Island Countries and Territories).
• Knowledge of a suite of social and natural science-based climate change adaptation and mitigation opportunities in these regions for a development context.
• A clear picture of the climate policy framework (domestic and international) that Australia’s development program operates within.

Learning Modules

The course is structured by eight learning modules and three interactive activities. Each module and activity is designed around particular sectors or clusters (see below) and embedded with cross-cutting themes, such as environmental sustainability, low-regrets adaptation options, nature-based solutions, social inclusion, governance, regulation/law enforcement, and breakthrough technologies.

Critical research, evaluation, interpretation and analysis skills are a focus of this course, as well an understanding of socio-economic impact models and skills to improve climate change adaptation-relevant regulatory oversight, policy intervention and service delivery.

Table 1. Themes of the modules to be delivered across the course.

* Modules are enhanced by Activities, Interactive Sessions, and Q&A sessions (not listed here). Module titles may change before the course begins to align with lecturer expertise and lecture content.

Workloads and Certificate

The course will either be delivered in-person as a two-day learning intensive in Canberra (preferred option), or online as a five-day less-intense course (if required by COVID-19 government health requirements). Participants will be required to watch a selection of videos from the DFAT online Climate Change, Energy and Environment Toolkit before commencing the course. Each learning module and interactive session spans 1-2 hours. As a guide, it is anticipated that each module will follow a format similar to:

• 30-45 minute lecture (or multiple mini-lectures in this timespan),
• 15-30 minute group discussion with the Lecturer, and/or
• 20-40 minute facilitated interactive session (applied learning, case studies).

Upon satisfactory completion of this course, participants will receive an ANU Certificate of Participation.

We look forward to seeing you in the course!

PROFESSIONAL SHORT COURSE

AUSTRALIA AWARDS, DFAT

19 July – 6 September 2022, Online
18:00 - 21:00 AEST

Supporting informed decision‑making throughout Africa.

This course is being delivered under the Australia Awards program. There are no fees associated with submitting an application, nor are there course fees for participants who are selected onto the course.

Application deadline extended until 31 May 2022 (11.59pm AEST)

Africa is highly sensitive to both existing climate variability and projected climate change. As a result, governments, industries and communities throughout Africa will be increasingly required to transition to zero-emission energy systems.

This intensive 7-week online course has been developed by the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions (ICEDS) as a tailored program for professionals working in government, non-government organisations (NGOs) and the private sector in Africa. The course provides students with an understanding of the key policy, technological, and economic approaches supporting the transition to a zero-emissions energy system.

Note that this course is available to participants from the following countries (region 3): Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Cote d’ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo

Additional courses (soon to be advertised) will be open to participants from other African countries in 2023.

As a participant on this course, you will receive applied technical energy transition knowledge and skills, particularly relating to energy technologies, systems, markets, trading and societal transitions.

This intensive 7-week online course is highly interactive with a mix of lectures, group activities and interactive sessions, providing participants with formal and informal learning opportunities from leading Australia-based academics.

On completion of the short course, you will have developed a deeper understanding of energy transition. You will also have acquired knowledge of how both technology and policy can shape the integration of renewable energy into the grid and enable economy-wide decarbonisation through the electrification of all energy uses.

Tentative schedule

Week 1

Session 1 – The African Energy Experience in the Global Context

• Motivation for energy transition
• Global Energy Trends
  

Session 2: Renewable Generation

• Solar (PV and thermal) 
• Wind 
• Hydro, geothermal and other renewables 
• Generation comparisons

Week 2

Session 3: Energy Storage

• Batteries
• Pumped hydro
• Hydrogen

Session 4: Distributed Energy Resources and Microgrids

• Optimising the value of distributed energy resources
• Design and operations of microgrids
• Battery optimisation
  

Week 3

Session 5: Renewable Energy Policy Frameworks

• Renewable Energy Target
• Reverse auctions
• Contracts for difference
• Feed in tariffs
• Public grants and equity investments
• Case study: ACT government 2045 zero-carbon plan 

Session 6: Electricity market mechanisms and energy economics

• Energy only markets
• Capacity markets
• Day ahead markets
• FCAS markets
• Other market mechanisms

Week 4

Session 7: The Social Transition

• Social behaviour and change
• Indigenous participation
• Vulnerable groups
• Energy justice
  

Session 8:ndustry workforce planning and transitions

• Transitioning the fossil fuel generation workforce
• Expanding the renewable energy workforce
  

Week 5

Session 9: Operations of Electricity Grids

• Integration of renewables
• Integration of storage
• Smart inverters 
• Barriers

Session 10: International Renewable Energy Systems

• Electricity super-grids
• Barriers to regional electricity trade
• Hydrogen/ammonia
  

Week 6

Session 11: Trade, Investment and Green Industrial Policy

• Green Industrial Policy 
• Commodity-level emissions accounting and certification to support trade
• Trade and investment policy linkages
  

Assignment and tutorial

• Your implementation plan

Week 7

Session 12: Concluding session

• Selected student presentations
• Lecture summaries 
• Lecturers panel discussion
• Remaining Q&A
• Closing ceremony 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, it is expected that participants who successfully completed all tasks will have:

• An understanding of the key technologies that will enable the transition to a zero-emissions energy system.
• Engaged with the key technological issues that underpin the integration of renewable energy into the grid.
•  A consideration of the market, regulatory and policy frameworks that underpin the operation and facilitate the transition of the energy sector.
•  A consideration of the socio-economic issues that will need to be addressed in the energy transition.
• An understanding of the barriers, challenges and opportunities presented by international renewable energy trade.
• Created an Implementation Plan, which identifies how the course learnings can be implemented in their current or future workplaces, in their organisation, or in their country.

Implementation Plan

Participants will be assisted during the course to develop an Implementation Plan. The Implementation Plan will identify how the learnings from the course could/should be implemented in the participant’s current or future workplace, broader organisation, and/or their country. The Implementation Plans will be completed by participants during the final week of the course and submitted for review. A sample of the Implementation Plans will be selected for presentation during the course’s final session.

Workloads and Completion Requirements

This course will be online and delivered over 7 weeks in July-September 2022.

Over the course, participants must attend:

• One introductory session (approx. 30 minutes) before the course starts.
• Two (2-hour) sessions per week – a total of 12 x 2-hour sessions across the first 6 weeks of the course.
• An Implementation Plan tutorial in week 7.

Each session will include:

• Pre-reading
• Questions on notice
• Lectures (including multiple presenters/guest cameo roles – maybe 15 minutes)
• Discussion session/Q&A
• A quiz (non-assessable)
• Feedback form.

Overall, participants will spend a minimum of 49 hours on the course. This includes approximately 7 hours per week in weeks 1-6 on the course (i.e. 4 hours in online sessions + 2 hours of individual work on pre-readings), plus 7 hours in the final week to create the Implementation Plan.

To qualify for a Certificate of Participation from the course, participants must (as a minimum):

• Attend minimum 50% of online sessions attended (at least 6 out of 12) – recordings available for all sessions.
• Complete one assignment: Implementation Plan (essential requirement).
• Submit at least two online posts (questions or comments) to the course’s online discussion panel.
• Complete the course surveys.

Course Requisites

To participate in this course, you must be based within one of the specified countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Cote d’ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo.

Participants must hold a mid-level or senior-level policy, practice, research or reform role, whether in government, civil society or the private sector.

It is expected that participants will have completed secondary schooling and at least three years’ tertiary education, have at least five years’ work experience at mid- to senior-levels, and have a reasonably good understanding of the subject matter.

English language proficiency (written and spoken) is required, to at least a ‘completed secondary schooling’ level.

Who Should Enrol

We encourage professionals working in government, NGOs or private business on issues related to climate change and energy transition to enrol.

The Application Process

To apply for this course, you must create a profile with CCE (requiring your name and an email address) and then you must complete the course application form (via this CCE website). The application form includes questions for you to answer relating to demographics, language, your current and previous relevant work experience, and your reasons for applying for this course. The application form also asks for you to attach 3 mandatory documents:

• evidence of your English language proficiency (i.e. evidence of your IELTS test score, TOEFL test score, or a formal writing sample) – mandatory requirement,
• a Letter of Support, Letter of Response, OR Letter of Recommendation (depending on your employment circumstance) – mandatory requirement, and
• your curriculum vitae – mandatory requirement.

Letter of Support/Response/Recommendation

If you are currently an employee, you must attach a Letter of Support (on official letterhead) from your employer and signed by a supervisor, stating that they support your application for this course. We advise that you use the sample letter here: Sample letter (DOC, 20 KB)

If you are currently self-employed, you must attach a Letter of Response (on official business letterhead) that is signed by you and outlines the role you play in your business/organisation, the length of time you have held this position, and major activities you have lead or been involved in over the past 2 years.

If you are currently unemployed or studying, you must attach a Letter of Recommendation from a previous employer (employment within past 2 years) OR from a community-based organisation that you have undertaken work for within the past 2 years OR from the institution where you are studying. The Letter of Recommendation must be on official letterhead and signed by a previous or current supervisor, or by a lecturer/convener.

ANU  has developed an Energy short course designed to provide an opportunity for mid-career policy and technology professionals from partner Indo-Pacific countries and regional level bodies to undertake an intensive university level course on the energy transition, with a specific focus on grid integration of renewable energy. Participants will gain applied technical and policy experience and create high-value professional contacts and linkages within the energy sector. 

This short course will ensure that energy transition knowledge and skills are transferred to participants in a way that supports and extends Australia’s international climate change activities and complements Australia’s development assistance program.

The course will be a mix of formal and applied learning, including the development of an Implementation proposal that outlines how the knowledge gained might be applied in the participant’s particular national or institutional context. 

Closing date for applications: 11:59pm, 18 August 2021 (AEST)

Workloads

The Energy course will comprise two 2-hour sessions per week for 6 weeks i.e. a total of 12 sessions. Sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11am - 1pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) starting 7 September and concluding 14 October 2021.

The delivery will be via teleconference and contact with the class will be via email and an educational interface.

Each session will include:

• Pre-reading
• Questions on notice
• Lectures
• Discussion session/ Q&A
• Feedback form

Contact with the participants will begin prior to the first session to provide pre-reading materials, answer questions, and potentially undertake a quiz to determine prior knowledge. 

Course outline

Over the six weeks the program will be highly interactive with a mix of lectures, practical exercises, workshops and discussions groups delivered via twelve sessions. The course topics are presented below.

Week 1

Session 1

The Australian experience in the global context

• Global energy trends
• Australia's renewable energy transition

Session 2

Renewable generation

• Solar (PV and thermal)
• Wind
• Hydro, geothermal and other renewables
• Generation comparisons 

Week 2

Session 3

Energy storage and recovery

• Batteries
• Pumped hydro
• Hydrogen

Session 4

Operation of electricity grids

• Australian National Electricity Market
• System-wide planning
• Electrification of other energy use

Week 3

Session 5

Electricity market mechanisms and energy economics

• Energy only markets
• Capacity markets
• Day ahead markets
• FCAS markets
• Other market mechanisms

Session 6

Renewable Energy Policy frameworks

• Renewable Energy Target
• Reverse auctions
• Contracts for difference
• Feed in tariffs
• Public grants and equity investments
• Case study - ACT government 2045 zero-carbon plan

Week 4

Session 7

Micro-grids opportunities and challenges

• Integration of renewables
• Integration of storage
• Smart inverters
• Barriers

Session 8

Industry workforce planning and transitions

• The geography of energy employment
• Transitioning the fossil fuel generation workforce
• Expanding the renewable energy workforce

Week 5

Session 9

The social transition

• Social behaviour and change
• Indigenous participation

Session 10

International renewable energy systems

• Electricity super-grids
• Barriers to regional electricity trade
• Hydrogen/ammonia

Week 6

Session 11

Trade, investment and Green Industrial Policy

• Green Industrial Policy
• Commodity-level emissions accounting and certification to support trade
• Trade and investment policy linkages

Session 12

Concluding session, potentially including:

• Participant presentations
• Lecturer panel discussion
• Closing ceremony and graduation 

Requisite Knowledge

To participate in this course, it is expected that participants have worked professionally in disciplines that deal with climate change , energy and policy making.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this short course, participants will have developed a deeper understanding of the energy transition.  They will also acquire knowledge of how both technology and policy can shape the integration of renewable energy into the grid, enabling economy-wide decarbonisation through the electrification of all energy uses. 

By the end of this course, Participants in the Energy course will:

• Understand the key technologies that will enable the transition to a zero-emissions energy system
• Engage with the key technological issues that underpin the integration of renewable energy into the grid
• Consider the market, regulatory and policy frameworks that underpin the operation and facilitate the transition of the energy sector
• Consider the socio-economic issues that will need to be addressed in the energy transition
• Understand the barriers, challenges and opportunities presented by international renewable energy trade.

Who should enrol

ANU is committed to promoting and supporting gender equality, diversity and inclusiveness. We encourage mid-career professionals working in Government, NGOs or private business on issues related to or interest in climate change adaptation, mitigation and/or disaster recovery from the following eligible countries.

Please Note: Seeking applications from the following countries

• Cook Islands
• French Polynesia
  
• Kiribati
• Mariana Islands
• Micronesia
  
• New Caledonia
  
• Tokelau 
  
• Tonga

In addition, to complete your application you will need the following documents:

• Current CV
• Evidence of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.5 or above, OR
• Evidence of (certificate) a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 80 and above
• Letter of recommendation from Employer

Environmental accounting is increasingly being used to support the development and analysis of government policy. Environmental accounting shows how different sectors of the economy affect the environment and vice versa. As the understanding of environment-economy interactions increases, the appropriate policy and business responses should become clearer. This professional development short course is designed to support those in government, business or NGOs interested in developing, implementing or using environmental accounts.

The course is to be held over two weeks each Tuesday and Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm with breaks for morning and afternoon tea and lunch. There will be 16 sessions each lasting 1.5 hours and will be a mix of presentation and activities. The course draws on expertise from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian National University and other institutions. It covers the theoretical and practical fundamentals of environmental and ecosystem accounting and places this into the public policy framework and other decision-making processes. Examples are drawn from around the world, and information resources are discussed and explored in practical workshops. Participants will have the opportunity to share experiences and are invited to use their own data for shaping into accounts.

Requisite Knowledge

No specific prior knowledge is assumed but it is expected that participants have worked professionally in disciplines related to environmental or ecosystem accounting, including environmental science, ecological economics, natural resource management, national accounting or statistics.

Teaching Staff

• Michael Vardon, Fenner School of Environment and Society
• Peter Burnett, ANU Law School
• Steve May, Australian Bureau of Statistics
• Carl Obst, Institute for Development of Environmental-Economic Accounting. Former head of ABS national accounts. SEEA Editor.
• Heather Keith (Griffith University) 
  

There will also be a range of guest lectures. 

Learning outcomes

On successfully completing of the course participants will be able to:

• explain the key features of environmental and ecosystem accounting
• understand the range of information sources needed to compile accounts
• identify issues to which environmental or ecosystem accounts could be applied
• populate basic accounting tables with existing information
• know where to find help and additional information on the concepts, data sources and methods.

In addition to knowledge of the accounts and their uses, course participants will develop the skills needed to manage a team with diverse knowledge and experience that is needed to produce and use environmental accounts.

Assessment

All learning outcomes are addressed by each assessment task. Assessment takes four forms:

• on-going assessment of class activities
• 90-minute written test
• individual assignment

Workloads

• In-person contact - 24 hours
• Private study - 4 hours
• Assessment - 4 hours

Is the course for credit at ANU?

Completion of this professional short course does not provide ANU course credit or an ANU transcript.

This course is now complete. At this stage there are no dates for 2022.

ANU is one of the world’s leading universities, recognised internationally for our teaching excellence and cutting-edge research.  With the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions (ICEDS) is offering a fully funded course to limited number of successful participants that will provide an understanding of the knowledge required for identifying and defining climate change impacts and vulnerability, development implications, legal frameworks, governance, sectoral contexts and socio-economic rationales underpinning climate change adaptation. Successful participants will acquire knowledge to assist them with evidence-based policy development and reform, as well as enhancing interpretation and analysis skills, and identification of  socio-economic impacts and policy interventions.

The course will be a mix of formal and applied learning, including the development of an Adaptation Action Plan (AAP) that can be implemented at individual, community or institutional scales.

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 14 July 2021

Workloads

The course will be delivered in the form of an intensive 6-week online course. Course activities will occur between 10am and 3pm, with a more specific schedule of activities developed closer to the start date. Each week, participants will be expected to attend:

• 3 to 4 (1-hour) lectures
• 1 Group Activity (1-hour)
• 1-hour of individual work on their AAP, with the option of utilising a 15-minute drop in session, that will be scheduled each week
• 1-hour interactive session

Course outline

The program will include an interactive  mix of lectures, practical exercises, workshop sessions and discussions groups delivered via six individual week modules. The complexity and intersectionality climate change adaptation and mitigation will be delivered via six modules incorporating economics, ecology, sustainability, governance, regulation, environment, human rights, gender and social inclusiveness.

Week 1 - Why climate change adaptation? Understanding drivers of action: Moving from Science to action

• Lecture - An introduction to systems thinking; systems analysis and climate change vulnerability assessment, including understanding influence diagrams, coastal systems thinking and adaptation exercise.
• Group Activity - regarding current stresses and climate change and climate variability - reflecting on sites visited and how to better include marginalized groups in policy.
• Adaptation Action Plan (AAP) development session.
• Lecture - What does climate change mean for effective decision making? Climate change and decision making: challenges, tensions and opportunities.
• Interactive session - Moving from science to practice – implications for action in this session participants will work on visioning exercises (past, current and future) to begin to think about adaptation (incremental and transformative) in ‘real’ world contexts.
• Lecture - Climate change governance – implications for action. 

Week 2 - Climate change adaptation science

• Lecture- What is climate change and variability in the Pacific context?
• Group Activity – Data gaps, consistencies/ inconsistencies and tensions in complex Pacific contexts
• Lecture - Climate change adaptation is more than data? Working with big and ‘small’ data
• Lecture - Uncertainties and certainties in forecasts at global and regional scales; how useful are global climate change scenarios and how reliable are regional scale forecasts?
• Interactive session - Climate change adaptation pathways, co-dependencies and real options.
• Adaptation Action Plan (AAP) development session.

Week 3 - Sectoral adaptation responses

• Lecture – Agriculture, fisheries and climate change, food production, security and value chains.
• Lecture - Health and climate change in high and low-income countries.
• Group Activity - Identifying complexities in decision making.
• Lecture - Water management and climate change and other conflicts.
• Lecture – Climate Change and natural resource management and conservation
• Group activity- Intersection of climate change and natural resource management issues.
• Interactive Session - Natural disasters and disaster risk reduction exercise.
• AAP session 

Week 4 - Integrated adaptation policy responses

• Lecture - Defining ‘adaptation policy’ and role of institutions.
• Group exercise - Role of governments at different scales for adaptation.
• Lecture - International institutions theory and praxis of adaptation
• Interactive Session - Coastal adaptation and island jurisdictions.
• Lecture - Different approaches to, ecosystem-based adaptation.
• Lecture – Onehealth or SDG’s as a framing for integrated climate change adaptation responses.
• AAP session

Week 5 - Stakeholder and Social inclusion

• Lecture - Social network theory lecture and practical activity using social network analysis.
• Group activity - Managing water and water use, stakeholder engagement, industry and marginalised groups (Murray Darling Basin)
• Lecture - Gender and the climate? How does gender affect people's ability to respond to climate change? How should gender be approached in climate change adaptation plans?
• Lecture and group activity - Psychology of adapting to climate change
• AAP sessions

Week 6 - Integration and AAP completion

Group Session - comparison of participants’ assessment of their national adaptation strategies.

• AAPs final development
• AAP presentations
• Closing ceremony and graduation 

Requisite Knowledge

Successful applicants to this course will be mid-career professionals with and English-speaking background, working in Government, NGOs or private business with an interest in issues related to climate change adaptation, mitigation and/or disaster recovery

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, Participants will:

• Understand key foundational and advanced concepts and practices required for effective climate change adaptation policy development and implementation, and comprehend the political, socioeconomic, regional and international risks, costs and benefits these may entail;
• Understand the science behind climate change impact and vulnerability assessment, including data collection and monitoring/surveillance mechanisms for assessing the status of environmental changes;
• Experience methods and tools for developing and accessing climate change adaptation options with stakeholders;
• Understand the management of the environment, regulation, and legal aspects of governance as socio-ecological systems in which human behaviour management is an intrinsic component;
• Identify and critically consider the core components of international and regional legal frameworks, treaties and institutions for responding to climate change for Asia-Pacific policy makers, including adaptation financing
• Appreciate the complexities of national and regional coordination around climate change adaptation at different scales of governance, from the complexities of effective engagement with traditionally marginalised stakeholders, to the complexities of multi-lateral action;
• Understand shared challenges and contextual differences in climate change adaptation across Asia and the Pacific and the regional and national legal and policy responses in the region.

Who should enrol

ANU is committed to promoting and supporting gender equality, diversity and inclusiveness. We encourage mid-career professionals working in Government, NGOs or private business on issues related to or interest in climate change adaptation, mitigation and/or disaster recovery from the following eligible countries.

Please Note: Only residents of the following countries are eligible to apply:

• Cook Islands
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Mariana Islands
• Marshall Islands
• Micronesia
• Nauru
• Niue
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Timor Leste
• Tokelau
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu

In addition, to complete your application you will need the following documents:

• Current CV
• Evidence of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.5 or above, OR
• Evidence of (certificate) a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 80 and above
• Letter of recommendation from Employer

ANU  has developed an Energy short course designed to provide an opportunity for mid-career policy and technology professionals  from partner Indo-Pacific countries and regional level bodies to undertake an intensive university level course on the energy transition, with a specific focus on grid integration of renewable energy. Participants will gain applied technical and policy experience and create high-value professional contacts and linkages within the energy sector. 

This short course will ensure that energy transition knowledge and skills are transferred to participants in a way that supports and extends Australia’s international climate change activities and complements Australia’s development assistance program.

The course will be a mix of formal and applied learning, including the development of an Implementation proposal that outlines how the knowledge gained might be applied in the participant’s particular national or institutional context. 

Workloads

The Energy course will comprise two 2-hour sessions per week for 6 weeks i.e. a total of 12 sessions. 

The delivery will be via teleconference and contact with the class will be via email and an educational interface.

Each session will include:

• Pre-reading
• Questions on notice
• Lectures
• Discussion session/ Q&A
• Feedback form

Contact with the participants will begin prior to the first session to provide pre-reading materials, answer questions, and potentially undertake a quiz to determine prior knowledge. 

Course outline

Over the six weeks the program will be highly interactive with a mix of lectures, practical exercises, workshops and discussions groups delivered via twelve sessions. The course topics are presented below.

Week 1

Session 1

The Australian experience in the global context

• Global energy trends
• Australia's renewable energy transition

Session 2

Renewable generation

• Solar (PV and thermal)
• Wind
• Hydro, geothermal and other renewables
• Generation comparisons 

Week 2

Session 3

Energy storage and recovery

• Batteries
• Pumped hydro
• Hydrogen

Session 4

Operation of electricity grids

• Australian National Electricity Market
• System-wide planning
• Electrification of other energy use

Week 3

Session 5

Electricity market mechanisms and energy economics

• Energy only markets
• Capacity markets
• Day ahead markets
• FCAS markets
• Other market mechanisms

Session 6

Renewable Energy Policy frameworks

• Renewable Energy Target
• Reverse auctions
• Contracts for difference
• Feed in tariffs
• Public grants and equity investments
• Case study - ACT government 2045 zero-carbon plan
• Case study - RE integration in the Mekong region

Week 4

Session 7

Micro-grids opportunities and challenges

• Integration of renewables
• Integration of storage
• Smart inverters
• Barriers

Session 8

Industry workforce planning and transitions

• The geography of energy employment
• Transitioning the fossil fuel generation workforce
• Expanding the renewable energy workforce

Week 5

Session 9

The social transition

• Social behaviour and change
• Indigenous participation

Session 10

International renewable energy systems

• Electricity super-grids
• Barriers to regional electricity trade
• Hydrogen/ammonia

Week 6

Session 11

Trade, investment and Green Industrial Policy

• Green Industrial Policy
• Commodity-level emissions accounting and certification to support trade
• Trade and investment policy linkages

Session 12

Concluding session, potentially including:

• Participant presentations
• Lecturer panel discussion
• Closing ceremony and graduation 

Requisite Knowledge

To participate in this course, it is expected that participants have worked professionally in disciplines that deal with climate change , energy and policy making.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this short course, participants will have developed a deeper understanding of the energy transition.  They will also acquire knowledge of how both technology and policy can shape the integration of renewable energy into the grid, enabling economy-wide decarbonisation through the electrification of all energy uses. 

By the end of this course, Participants in the Energy course will:

• Understand the key technologies that will enable the transition to a zero-emissions energy system
• Engage with the key technological issues that underpin the integration of renewable energy into the grid
• Consider the market, regulatory and policy frameworks that underpin the operation and facilitate the transition of the energy sector
• Consider the socio-economic issues that will need to be addressed in the energy transition
• Understand the barriers, challenges and opportunities presented by international renewable energy trade.