Climate-Neutral World: Theory, Applications and Taking Action

Mitigation of climate change is one of the most important challenges of our times. To prevent irreversible damage to human societies and the environment, it was agreed that world countries should limit the global average temperature rise. To avoid the dangerous impacts of climate change, it is needed to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 °C or even to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.

This requires cutting global greenhouse gas emissions to near-zero levels in the coming decades. Especially for the energy system, a drastic transformation is needed.

We know that such a transformation is possible, but it will require virtually every organization, whether it is a steel company, a hospital, or a municipality, to tackle climate change challenges. The question that often arises is – where to start?

This course is designed for the professionals that might be the leaders of this transformation in their organization - policymakers, sustainability consultants or professionals from other fields - who want to familiarize themselves with climate change mitigation strategies so they can apply it to their projects.

In the first part of the course, you will obtain basic knowledge including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the various types of GHG (CO2 and non-CO2), their emissions, and about the Paris Agreement. You will also learn about current energy systems, electricity generation, and the energy demand of various sectors.

Next, we will focus on courses of action and methods that will assist in selecting the best options in any type of project or organization. We will present methodologies for measurement of emission reductions and calculation of costs. Here we will introduce you to the concept of “marginal abatement cost curves” which will help you analyze alternatives by comparing emission reduction potential with the costs involved. Finally, various options such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and electrification will be discussed as the major emission reduction strategies.

We invite you to join this journey and to bring your own experiences and challenges to your organization.

This course is designed for the next generation of policy makers, sustainability consultants or professionals and students from other fields who want to introduce themselves to climate change mitigation strategies in the building and transport sectors and apply them to their projects.

This course covers a wide variety of topics in the building and transportation domains, with the focus on the importance of designing climate friendly systems. Specifically:

• Buildings– you will learn about trends in energy use and CO2 emissions that result from heating and cooling buildings, cooking and the use of electricity for appliances and lighting. You will be able to compare various alternatives to limit GHG emissions from buildings and quantify their impact.
• Transportation – you will gain knowledge of decarbonization efforts carried out in various sub-sectors of transportation (including freight, aviation and passenger transport). You will learn about trends, fuel alternatives such as electrification and hydrogen applications, examine energy intensity and calculate GHG produced by transport. Additionally, you will have the chance to evaluate different transportation modes and their impact on climate.

In addition to the lectures, the course also includes interviews with experts and various exercises that will demonstrate how to practice what you have learnt and explore GHG emissions through real life examples. Enriched by relevant readings and discussion forums, this course will let you dive deeper into specific areas of interest you might have and further facilitate your learning experience.

Course material and exercises will be complemented by relevant content about policy, through which you will also discover current measures taken by governments world-wide.

“Every action matters
Every bit of warming matters
Every year matters
Every choice matters.”

This was the brief summary of a 2018 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the scientific advisory board of the United Nations.
But who should act?

In earlier courses, we already set out what is needed to limit the impact of climate change. In this course, we will explore the role of national governments, the international community, companies, and sub-national governments, like cities, municipalities, provinces, and regions.

We start from the idea that climate governance is polycentric. None of these parties can mitigate the dangers of climate change all by themselves. Each of these types of organization has its particular strength. If you work – or plan to work – in or with any such organization, then through this course you will learn how to be successful and effective in playing your part in mitigating climate change.

Important elements that will be discussed for the various players in the field are:

• What roles can the different organizations play?
• How can emission reduction targets be set so that they are both ambitious and feasible?
• How can meaningful emission reduction plans be developed that actually result in emission reduction on the ground?

Examples will be presented by professionals who have been successful in their own organization. They are willing to share the failures and critical success factors in their strategies.