See https://www.anu.edu.au/covid-19-advice. In Sem 2 2022, this course is delivered on campus with adjustments for remote participants.
This course examines the climate change problem in terms of vulnerability and adaptation from primarily scientific, societal and policy perspectives. There is now a certain amount of unavoidable climate change, and therefore a need to adapt to these changing climatic conditions and their consequences. The need to adapt, and the kinds of adaptation responses necessary will depend on how the climate changes at a specific location over time, whether the direct or indirect impacts are positive or negative, and the capacity of people and systems to respond. Participants in this intensive course (two weeks) will gain knowledge of methods for assessing climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, as well as how societies in developed and developing nations can effectively adapt to climate change.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Describe the kinds of climate change adaptation responses that may be necessary and the risks, costs and benefits that these may entail
- Understand key theories, analytical methods and sources of information for climate change adaptation.
- Critically consider the elements of effective climate change adaptation policies at national and sub-national scales.
Other Information
There is a small additional field trip fee of around $30 applicable to participation in this course (payment to ANU Science Shop).
If you do not meet the requisites for this course, it may be possible to receive a permission code. If you are prompted for a permission code on ISIS, please request one online via the following form.
Indicative Assessment
- Two short written assignments and a presentation (40) [LO 1,2]
- A critique of a climate change adaptation policy of a nation (or sub-national jurisdiction) (50) [LO 3]
- Course participation (10) [LO 1,2]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
The expected workload will consist of approximately 130 hours including:
- A 65 hour face-to face component delivered intensively over two weeks comprising lectures, practicals and field excursions.
- Approximately 65 hours of self-study which will include preparation for lectures, presentation and other assessment tasks.
Students are expected to actively participate and contribute towards discussions.
Inherent Requirements
To be determined.
Prescribed Texts
Key reference for pre-reading:
- Field, C and Van Aalst, M, 2014. Climate change 2014: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Working Group II. Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva. http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg2/
Preliminary Reading
- Adger, W.N., Arnell, N.W., & Tompkins, E.L. 2005. Successful adaptation to climate change across scales. Global Environmental Change, 15(2), 77-86. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378004000901
- Australian Government policies on adapting to climate change: http://www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/adaptation
- Barnett, J., & O'Neill, S. 2010. Maladaptation. Global Environmental Change, 20(2), 211-213. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VFV-4XY4SDP-1/2/377f3a2c8f973d976587810265cf0df3
- Birkmann, J. & Teichman, K. 2010. Integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation: key challenges—scales, knowledge, and norms. Sustainability Science, 5(2), pp.171–184. http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11625-010-0108-y
- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 2009. Connecting biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation: Report of the Second Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change., CBD, Montreal. http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/cbd-ts-41-en.pdf
- Dovers S.R. and Hezri A.A. (2010). Institutions and policy processes: the means to the ends of adaptation. WIREs Climate Change 1, 212–231. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wcc.29/abstract
- Ford, J. D., Berrang-Ford, L., & Paterson, J. 2011. A systematic review of observed climate change adaptation in developed nations. Climatic Change, 106(2), 327-336. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-011-0045-5
- Fankhauser, S. and McDermott, T.K.J. 2014. Understanding the adaptation deficit: Why are poor countries more vulnerable to climate events than rich countries? Global Environmental Change, 27:9-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.04.014
- Hallegatte, S. 2009. Strategies to adapt to an uncertain climate change. Global Environmental Change, 19(2), 240-247. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VFV-4VNCBYR-1/2/0ada4deadb3cb5d2278e60012b35e24e
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Assumed Knowledge
The course is accessible for masters students from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2022 | $4440 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2022 | $6000 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Spring Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6239 | 05 Sep 2022 | 16 Sep 2022 | 07 Oct 2022 | 11 Oct 2022 | In Person | View |
