Students

ENVS2115 – Climate Change, Energy and our Future

2023 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor
Michelle Leishman
michelle.leishman@mq.edu.au
Teaching staff
Paul Beggs
paul.beggs@mq.edu.au
Teaching staff
Jessica Boomer
jessica.boomer@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
60cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
ENVS6115
Unit description Unit description

Climate change is one of the most serious challenges facing humanity now and into the future. This topical unit explores key aspects of climate change including the underlying science and the role of human activity, the impacts, and adaptation and mitigation solutions. The unit examines the climate system, current observations and future projections of climate change, and the significance of sectoral and regional climate risks to natural and human systems. The unit also provides an in-depth examination of the role of energy in the climate change issue, from fossil fuel use as a major driver of climate change, to renewable energy as a fundamental solution to this crisis. The unit will empower students to engage in informed discussion about this issue.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate an informed, holistic world view of the climate change issue, including the ability to differentiate natural climate variability from global warming.
  • ULO2: Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental physical mechanisms driving climate variability and climate change.
  • ULO3: Describe the links between fossil fuels, agriculture, population growth and climate change, and the present and future impacts on physical, biological and human systems.
  • ULO4: Explain the role of government, community and industry in determining climate change policy, including adaptation and mitigation options such as renewable energy.
  • ULO5: Assess the validity of information from a range of sources, including scientific communications and popular media.

General Assessment Information

Detailed assessment information is available on the unit's iLearn site. Note that quizzes are held during workshops.

Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit you must:

  • Attempt all assessments, and
  • Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%

 

Late Assessment Submission Penalty 

From 1 July 2022, Students enrolled in Session based units with written assessments will have the following late penalty applied. Please see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/assessments for more information. 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of '0' will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period is 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, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.  

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted 

In this unit, late submissions will accepted as follows: 

  • Quizzes - NO, unless Special Consideration is granted 
  • Research report - YES, Standard Late Penalty applies 
  • Final exam - 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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Assessment of knowledge on lectures and/or practical/tutorial tasks 20% No Weeks 4, 7, 10, 13
Research report 40% No Week 10
Final Exam 40% No In exam period

Assessment of knowledge on lectures and/or practical/tutorial tasks

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Weeks 4, 7, 10, 13
Weighting: 20%

 

Short quizzes or tests will be used to maintain everyone’s engagement with the unit content.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental physical mechanisms driving climate variability and climate change.
  • Describe the links between fossil fuels, agriculture, population growth and climate change, and the present and future impacts on physical, biological and human systems.
  • Explain the role of government, community and industry in determining climate change policy, including adaptation and mitigation options such as renewable energy.

Research report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 40%

 

You will write a report on an aspect of climate change.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an informed, holistic world view of the climate change issue, including the ability to differentiate natural climate variability from global warming.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental physical mechanisms driving climate variability and climate change.
  • Describe the links between fossil fuels, agriculture, population growth and climate change, and the present and future impacts on physical, biological and human systems.
  • Explain the role of government, community and industry in determining climate change policy, including adaptation and mitigation options such as renewable energy.
  • Assess the validity of information from a range of sources, including scientific communications and popular media.

Final Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: In exam period
Weighting: 40%

 

Final exam on material from lectures, assignment and practicals/tutorials.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an informed, holistic world view of the climate change issue, including the ability to differentiate natural climate variability from global warming.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental physical mechanisms driving climate variability and climate change.
  • Describe the links between fossil fuels, agriculture, population growth and climate change, and the present and future impacts on physical, biological and human systems.
  • Explain the role of government, community and industry in determining climate change policy, including adaptation and mitigation options such as renewable energy.
  • Assess the validity of information from a range of sources, including scientific communications and popular media.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Lectures are delivered through a mixture of face to face and online - details will be on the unit iLearn site.

In week 1, the first lecture will be delivered in person and the second lecture will be pre-recorded and available through the iLearn site.

Workshops are held face to face each week, commencing in week 1.

 

Methods of Communication

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor via the contact email on iLearn.

 

COVID Information

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.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link in the iLearn page.

 

Student feedback from the previous offering of this unit was very positive overall, with students pleased with the clarity around assessment requirements and the level of support from teaching staff. As such, only minor changes to the unit are planned, specifically the timing of assessment task due dates.

Unit information based on version 2023.05 of the Handbook