To pass this unit you must achieve a total mark equal or greater than 50%.

 

Practical Report: Due 07 April 2023 (30% of final grade)

Students will be allocated to one of eight local government areas within New South Wales. Produce an individual 2-page fact sheet for public consumption which describes trends over the past few decades, and projections, both short-term (next two decades) and long-term (to 2070). An additional one page addendum should also be submitted (i.e. bringing the total assignment submission to 3 pages) which provides additional background information on the models used, sources of information and caveats around potential errors and variability in model projections.

Use the best available data and projections for temperature, rainfall, extreme fire risk days, and sea-level.

For Climate trends, use the Bureau of Meteorology data accessed in Tutorial Week 3:

https://climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/About-climate-change-in-NSW  

For Climate Projections, use the NARCLIM down-scaled climate modelling results accessed in Tutorial Week 4:

https://climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/Climate-projections-for-NSW/Climate-projections-for-your-region

and the new IPCC interactive tool:

For sea-level trends (where relevant), use the resources provided in Week 5 practical (the Port Kembla sea-level rise time-series, and the Coast Adapt and Coastal Risk Australia http://coastalrisk.com.au/

https://coastadapt.com.au/tools/coastadapt-datasets#future-datasets

 

The report should be intelligible to the lay person, but clearly based on and referencing the best available science.

Reports will be graded with reference to:

• Concise graphical representation of trends
• Meaningful spatial representation of modelling results
• Clear interpretation of the results relevant to the general population
• Explanation of the basis for measurement and prediction
• Explanation of uncertainty

 

Climate Change Adaptation group report: Due 22 May 2023 (40% of grade)

This is a group report. You will provide an integrated regional vulnerability assessment for your region (allocated for the Practical report), and specific, implementable adaptation options for local and state government.

For the allocated region within New South Wales provide a precis of the potential impacts of climate change between now and 2070. In this section you may wish to reference the regional vulnerability assessments conducted by the NSW government (https://climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/Adapting-to-climate-change/Regional-vulnerability-and-assessment)

 

Informed by current NSW government strategy, you will address vulnerability and provide adaptation options for the four themes below:

• Infrastructure and Tourism
• Agriculture and water resources
• Human Health and emergency services
• Natural ecosystems and cultural heritage

Provide immediate, short term (2-5 years) and long-term (5-10 year) strategies for implementation. Maximum 3000 words.

 

 

On-line Quiz

Each on-line quiz will consist of 30 multiple choice questions, based solely on the lecture material. The quiz will be open in the afternoon and evening on the dates listed below. Students will have 1 hour to complete the quiz including reading time, and accessed through iLearn.

Quiz 1 will cover material presented in lectures weeks 1-3 inclusive and will be held the Wednesday Week 4 (15^th March 2023)

Quiz 2 will cover material presented in lectures weeks 4,5 7 and 8 and will be held on the Wednesday Week 9 (3^rd May 2023)

Quiz 3 will cover material presented in lectures weeks 9-12 inclusive and will be held on the Wednesday of Week 13 (31^st May 2023)

 

 

Late Assessment Submission Penalty 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark of the task) will be applied for each day a written report or presentation assessment is not submitted, up until the 7^th day (including weekends). After the 7^th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. The submission time for all uploaded assessments is 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period will be provided to students who experience a technical concern.

For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, please apply for Special Consideration. 

 

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted 

• Practical Report and Group Adaptation Report – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies 
• Quiz 1,2 and 3 - NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted 

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au.

The Unit consists of a weekly lecture (uploaded to iLearn on the Friday of the week prior), which can be viewed at a time convenient to the student. An optional question and answer session relating to the week's lecture content will be held each week at 10am on Wednesday, by Zoom (link provided on iLearn). There will be a weekly 2-hour tutorial/practical session on campus, with an on-line option for those students unable to be present on campus. Times are:

Thursday 12 noon - 2pm: 12 Second Way 404 tutorial room

Wednesday 1pm - 3pm: ON-LINE (and recorded)

We will communicate with you via your university email or through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to UNITCODE@mq.edu.au from your university email address.

For the latest information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please refer to the Coronavirus infection page on the Macquarie website: https://www.mq.edu.au/about/coronavirus-faqs. Remember to check this page regularly in case the information and requirements change during semester. If there are any changes to this unit in relation to COVID, these will be communicated via iLearn.

Delivery 

 

	LECTURE: Online via Echo360, posted Friday the week prior. On-line zoom Q and A Wednesday 10am	WORKSHOP: Campus (12 Second Way Thurs 12-2pm) or on-line (Wed 1-3pm)
Week 1- (week beginning 20 Feb)	Atmospheric composition and climate Earliest papers on global warming. The link between greenhouse gasses and temperature. Global Climate Models. Observation vs prediction	Zoom seminar: introduction to the course and assessment tasks
Week 2- (Week beginning 27 Feb)	Timescales of Climate Change and climate variability The Tertiary and the Quaternary, Glacial and Interglacial periods, Trends through the Holocene	Myth-busting 1: The Climate Hiatus
Week 3- (week beginning 6 March)	Projections of Climate Change in the 21st Century Climate modelling for the IPCC. The projections of the 6th Assessment Report.	Working with BOM climate data
Week 4 (week beginning 13 March)	The Cryosphere, Ocean warming and Sea Level Rise impacts Ice sheet collapse. Drivers of sea-level rise. Sea level rise observations and projections. Sea level rise impacts	NARCLIM climate change projections     Online Quiz 1 (Open 15 March)
Week 5 (week beginning 20 March)	Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation in Australia Bushfires, including the 2020 season. Drought and agriculture. Extreme Heatwaves, snow season, coral bleaching, sea level rise vulnerability.	Myth Busting 2: Sea-level trends: Online data and imaging tools; analysis of Port Kembla sea-level Data.
Week 6 (week beginning 27 March)	Coastal Adaptation case study: Coastal management in Australia, including the NSW Coastal Reforms	Sea-level adaptation in Australia and Indonesia
Week 7 (week beginning 3 April)	Adaptation case study: Blue Carbon Approaches to natural climate change mitigation and their limitations	PRAC REPORT DUE APRIL 7 Adaptation planning in NSW: introduction to the report
(week beginning 10 April	Recess (UA Common Week)
(week beginning 17 April)	Recess
Week 8 (week beginning 24 April)	Adaptation case study: environmental water The challenge of climate change adaptation in the Murray Darling Basin. The water market as an adaptation mechanism	Group report preparation, and group/theme consultations by appointment
Week 9 (week beginning 1 May)	Climate Change winners and losers Opportunities and vulnerabilities at the global scale. CO2, warming and agriculture, fisheries, inter-generational equity, poverty and exposure.	Group report preparation, and group/theme consultations by appointment Online Quiz 2 (Open 3 May)
Week 10 (week beginning 8 May)	Mitigation: the IPCC Framework Emissions and temperature outcomes. Contributions to global emissions. Trends in emissions by sector	Seminar: Start-ups and climate mitigation with Mick Liubinskas from Climate salad
Week 11 (week beginning 15 May)	Opportunities for mitigation in Australia Market mechanisms, carbon pricing and emissions trading. History of Australian climate and energy policy. Opportunities for transition to low emissions technology. Natural carbon sequestration and storage	No tutorial- group work on adaptation report ADAPTATION REPORT DUE MAY 22nd
Week 12 (week beginning 22 May)	Reasons for hope: opportunities for global mitigation. Trends in emissions, current commitments (post-Glasgow), prospects and ongoing challenges	Unpacking mitigation targets and trends (simulation game)
Week 13 (week beginning 29 May)	Overview and Key Learnings	Online Quiz 3 (Opens 31 May) No tutorial