28 October – 5 December 2024
5.45pm - 9.00pm AEDT

Supporting informed decision‑making throughout the Indian Ocean.

Nominations for this short course open Friday 23 August 2024 (5.00pm AEST) and have been extended to close on Monday 30 September 2024 (11.55pm AEST).

Funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), this course is open to professionals working in a climate change adaptation or mitigation relevant role from the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Member State, which are: Bangladesh, the Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
 

To nominate for this course, first read 'The Application Process' below and then complete the nomination form by clicking on the Register online button above (top right of this page).

Course Convener: Dr Steven Crimp

Climate change is the most significant environmental, social and economic challenge of our time. Across the Indian Ocean region, communities are increasingly challenged by the diverse and multiple physical impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, increasing frequency and intensity of cyclones, droughts, floods and storm surges, ambient heat waves, warming sea temperatures, and ocean acidification.

To support decision-makers across our region, ICEDS has developed the IORA professional short course on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation for the Indian Ocean Region. This course provides participants with an understanding of climate change impacts across the Indian Ocean, adaptation and mitigation options available, and the challenges to be overcome.

As a participant in this course, you will be presented with information that will help you to identify and define: climate change impacts and vulnerability, the policy and development implications of different climate change adaptation and mitigation options, and the legal frameworks, governance, sectoral contexts and socio-economic rationales underpinning climate change adaptation and mitigation. This course is interactive with a mix of lectures and group discussions, providing participants with learning opportunities from leading ANU academics and industry experts.

On completion of the course, participants will have developed a deeper understanding of climate change adaptation and mitigation. Participants will also have acquired knowledge to assist evidence-based policy design and reform, will have enhanced interpretation and analysis skills, and will have explored a variety of socio-economic impacts and policy interventions to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Module Topics

• Part A: Introductions
• Part B: Why climate change adaptation? Understanding drivers of action, moving from science to policy/practice
• Part C: Health, water and food security in a changing world
• Part D: Adaptation Action Plans (AAP)

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, it is expected that participants who successfully complete all tasks will have the skills and knowledge to:

• Understand the key foundational (and some advanced) concepts and practices for effective climate change adaptation policy design and implementation, and a comprehension of the political, socioeconomic, regional and international risks, costs and benefits that these may entail.
• Understand the science behind climate change impact and vulnerability assessment, including data collection and monitoring/surveillance mechanisms, and a comprehension of the methods and tools for developing and accessing climate change adaptation options with stakeholders.
• Understand the application of environmental regulation and other legal aspects of governance as socio‑ecological systems in which human behaviour management is an intrinsic component.
• Identify and critically consider the core components of international and regional legal frameworks, treaties and institutions for responding to climate change for policy makers and practitioners.
• Understand the complexities of national and regional coordination around climate change adaptation at different scales of governance, from the complexities of effective engagement with traditionally marginalised stakeholders, to the complexities of multi-lateral action.
• Communicate the challenges and contextual differences of climate change adaptation across the region, and the associated regional and national legal and policy responses and opportunities.

Assignment: Adaptation Action Plan

Participants will be assisted during the course to develop an Adaptation Action Plan (AAP). The AAP assignment runs throughout the course, with sessions devoted to assist with AAP development. The AAP is a self-directed assignment but support is provided by the Course Convenor and the AAP Mentor.

In developing the AAP, participants are asked to consider their country and organisational contexts and select a real-world climate change adaptation problem to base their AAP on. Each AAP must (as a minimum) identify the type of adaptation action that is being planned for, who the active stakeholders are, the anticipated timelines and budget requirements, and the expected outcomes of the plan. In the final sessions of the course, participants present their AAPs either as a pre-recorded video or live within the online classroom to their fellow participants and invited guests.

The presentation of an AAP is one of the mandatory course requirements to qualify for an ANU Certificate of Completion. Participants who do not complete the AAP assignment may qualify for an ANU Certificate of Participation, if other course requirements have been met.

Workloads and Completion Requirements

This course will be online and delivered over 4 phases:

• Introductory Sessions: 28 & 30 October 2024 from 5.45pm – 8.00pm AEDT each day.
• Main Course: 31 October – 25 November 2024 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 5.45pm – 8.00pm AEDT.
• Study Break to complete the AAP: 26 November – 1 December 2024.
• AAP Presentations and Concluding Session: 2 – 4 December 2024 from 5.45pm – 9.00pm AEDT each day.

The course will include:

• Pre-reading materials (accessible via our online educational platform)
• Questions on notice
• Presentations from ANU researchers or guest speakers
• Group discussions, workshops and activities
• Feedback surveys.

The course workload includes 36 contact-hours in online sessions, at least 5 hours of pre-session reading, and at least 7 hours of out-of-session self-directed work to complete the assignment. To qualify for an ANU Certificate of Completion participants must (as a minimum):

• Attend at least 50% of the online sessions (at least 13 out of 26) - recordings may be available for sessions that are missed.
• Complete, present and submit the AAP assignment by the due date.
• Submit at least two online posts (questions or comments) to the course’s online discussion boards.

Pre-Requisites for this Course

To nominate for this course, you must be a professional working in a climate change adaptation or mitigation related role and either a national from an IORA Member State or from the IORA Secretariat. IORA Member States are: Bangladesh, the Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

The course will be taught in English, and participants must have good English language proficiency (written and spoken).

Participants must work in a relevant professional role in policy, practice, research or reform. Participants must have completed secondary schooling and at least three years of tertiary education, have at least 3-5 years of work experience at mid to senior levels, and have a reasonably good base-level understanding of the subject matter.

As participation in this course is likely to intersect with and impact on your work duties, all nominations for this course must include a signed Letter of Support. See 'The Application Process' below for more information about this.

Who Should Apply

We encourage professionals working in an IORA Member State in government, industry or the community sector on issues related to climate change adaptation and mitigation to nominate for this short course.

The Application Process

To nominate for this course, you will need to complete the online nomination form. The form includes questions relating to your demographics, country, language proficiency, current and previous relevant work experience, and reasons for applying for this course.

The nomination form must be fully completed and submitted by the closing deadline if you wish to be considered for this short course. Click on the Register Online button above (top right of this page) to begin the nomination form.

To complete the nomination form, you will need to upload 3-4 files (max. file size = 100MB each). These files are a mandatory part of the nomination process.

They are:

1. Evidence of your English language proficiency (if English is not your first or primary language) - this must be one of the following:
   • IELTS test score (dated within the past 10 years),
   • TOEFL test score (dated within the past 10 years), OR
   • a recent sample of your formal writing (dated within the past 10 years, (e.g.) academic paper, policy brief, business plan, etc.) with the sample clearly showing you as the primary author.
2. A formal Letter of Support demonstrating your organisation's support for your nomination.
3. An updated curriculum vitae or resume.

To preview all nomination questions, please see the Sample Nomination Form (PDF, 220KB).

Letter of Support

You must attach a Letter of Support (on official letterhead) from your employer and signed by a supervisor, stating that they support your nomination for this course. We recommend that you use the sample letter here:  Sample Letter of Support (DOC, 22 KB).

Please Note: Your Letter of Support should reflect a clear understanding of the time commitment for course participation (i.e. approximately 36 contact hours online, at least 5 hours of pre-session reading, and at least 7 hours to complete the assignment). The Letter of Support is mandatory, and nominations without an official and signed letter will be classified as incomplete.

All complete and valid nominations will be reviewed, and successful applicants will be informed via email 1-2 weeks before the course commences.