Module 2 Introduction to climate change
In Module 2, you will learn about key climate change concepts, global climate policy frameworks and Australia’s approach to climate change. These will give you a foundational understanding of the core drivers of climate-related risks and opportunities.
What will I learn?
The module will introduce you to climate science, greenhouse gases, the greenhouse effect and how human activity has driven global warming. It covers the history of global climate agreements, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the role of these two global institutions.
The module will give you an understanding of the Paris Agreement, its objectives and implementation mechanisms. You will also learn about the global carbon budget and the remaining budget for alignment with the Paris Agreement.
The module will introduce you to the concepts of climate mitigation and adaptation, with examples. It will also introduce you to Australia’s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement (including our emissions reduction target) and National Adaptation Plan.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- explain how human activity has driven global warming and describe the main greenhouse gases
- describe key global climate policy frameworks and agreements, including their implementation mechanisms
- explain the concepts of climate mitigation, adaptation and the global carbon budget, and
- describe Australia’s response to climate change.