LPLK10381U Climate Solutions

Volume 2023/2024
Education

MSc Programme in Climate Change
MSc Programme in Environmental Science
 

Content

Climate Solutions is an interdisciplinary course offered by the University of Copenhagen. It is open for MSc students and continuing education students with a relevant BSc background in natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, law and economics. MSc students from other faculties are also encouraged to register, please email the coordinators if you're interested.

This course facilitates and builds carbon management and sustainability skills for the green transition through co-learning partnerships between real business cases and student led-consultancies. The overall aim of the course is a focus on innovation and implementation of solutions for estimating and reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the organizational level to achieve both environmental and economic sustainability. Many technologies and solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions are already available, but due to lack of knowledge transfer they are not implemented.

Organizations having an actual intention to estimate and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions are selected as cases (e.g. a restaurant, a farm, a manufacturing company, a local business, festival, etc.). 

Students will be working together in groups as consultants for their case organizations and apply circular economy and sustainable design principles to create case specific plans for implementing the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

The students will be given the tools to create such a plan by participating in workshops together with university and industry experts with relevant and best available technologies and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within relevant fields such as natural science, planning, economics and human behavior.

The course covers a wide range of the UN Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on SDG4 (quality education), SDG7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG9 (innovation and infrastructure), SDG11 (sustainable cities and communities), SDG12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG13) (climate action).

Learning Outcome

The aim of the course is to give MSc students with different academic backgrounds the capability to work together in interdisciplinary teams as consultants for organizations to implement relevant solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. After completing the course the student should be able to:

Knowledge:

  • Identify the best available and relevant technologies and practices for estimating and reducing greenhouse gas emissions relating to specific industries or businesses


Skills: 

  • Select the most relevant technologies and practices for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the organizational level
  • Compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of selected technologies and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the organizational level
  • Search, collect and analyse raw digital data
  • Critically assess available reduction strategies


Competences:

  • Discuss advantages and disadvantages of different technologies and practices to estimate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions 
  • Cooperate and work together as consultants for organizations to create plans for implementing the most relevant and cost-effective solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
  • Reflect on the skills needed for the green transition and necessary research requirements for the development of better technologies and practices for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
  • Gather and critically reflect on available digital scientific literature in order to correctly communicate knowledge to a targeted audience

The learning resources consist of selected articles, reports and book chapters, which will be made available on absalon.

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree are recommended.
The teaching and learning methods consist of: 1) meetings with representatives from case organizations, 2) student and staff lead workshops on best available relevant technologies and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
3) group work to create case specific plans for implementing solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the organizations, 4) multimedia project, 5) progress report and supervision with teacher feedback and 6) individual oral examination
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 20
  • Class Instruction
  • 38
  • Preparation
  • 103
  • Excursions
  • 20
  • Project work
  • 206
  • Guidance
  • 24
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Total
  • 412
Oral
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)

Oral feedback to the student's work on the climate solutions project and multimedia project is given at regular progress report and supervision meetings. 

Peer feedback on each climate solutions report is given by the student groups.

At the final exam individual feedback is given to each student.

Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 15 minutes
Written assignment, group report and a multimedia group project
Type of assessment details
Description of Examination: Students will be assessed on the basis of their individual contribution to a group report and a multimedia group project and individual performance in an oral exam covering the group report and the general curriculum (15 min without preparation time).
Each student's contribution will be indicated in the group report and the multimedia project.

Weight: 60% individual contribution to group report and multimedia project; 40% oral exam
Exam registration requirements

Submitted and obtained approval of minimum 75% of the class assignments.

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Re-exam

Oral examination, 15 minutes. As the ordinary exam.

Individual report and multimedia project on an assigned topic must be handed in 2 weeks before re-examination.

Criteria for exam assesment

Please see the description of learning outcome