Monash University Handbook 2010 Postgraduate - Unit

Synopsis

This unit provides an introduction to the business and economic perspectives of climate change mitigation and a detailed look at how an emissions trading scheme, like the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), would affect businesses and other stakeholders in an operational sense.

Objectives

The learning goals associated with this unit are to:

• acquire a broad understanding of:
1. climate change arising from greenhouse gases emissions
2. its overall long term economic impact
3. international initiatives under the Kyoto protocol and
4. Australian policy options for climate change mitigation
• acquire a detailed knowledge of the Australian Government's proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and how it might work in practice
• analyse the supply and demand side aspects of key economic sectors namely the stationary energy sources, transport and agriculture to explain how they affect greenhouse gas emissions
• develop an understanding of the inter-connectedness of the energy, emissions and the carbon markets (arising from the implementation of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme), including secondary and derivative markets
• develop an ability to assess the likely impact of carbon pricing on businesses (both liable parties and others), communities and individuals, both nationally and internationally
• develop a set of academic skills which include the ability to:
1. work independently and in groups from diverse cultural and social backgrounds
2. monitor developments in this rapidly evolving field utilising relevant sources such as web sites, media, journals, textbooks, major reports and review papers from governments, regulatory and other institutions, and
3. formulate and present (verbally and in writing) defensible views and strategies from the perspectives of different stakeholders (eg emitters, customers, regulators, governments etc).

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 50%
Examination (3 hours): 50%

Contact hours

39 contact hours