Course Overview

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is attracting much attention across various stakeholders including both public and private sector. It is seen as a key vehicle to advance actions under the Paris Agreement by enabling Parties to voluntarily cooperate towards achievement of their mitigation commitments, pursuing more ambitious mitigation and contributions to sustainable development, and ultimately, towards achievement of the global goal of net zero emissions.

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement facilitates Parties to operationalize high integrity carbon markets, which can be an effective and efficient measure to address climate change. By operationalizing carbon markets, economic incentives are created for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Parties set out for the provision of global carbon markets which involve international transfer of mitigation outcomes accrued through cooperation within the context of the Paris Agreement. While development of rules, modalities and procedures and detailed guidance of a centralized carbon crediting mechanism under the UNFCCC is currently ongoing, some Parties have already begun designing, developing and operationalizing their own mechanisms based on bilateral cooperation. In the meantime, voluntary carbon markets are also evolving, with private sector companies the major source of demand for credits. At the same time, there are various initiatives deployed and/or under consideration to ensure the quality of carbon credits from both the supply side and the demand side, taking into account global action towards net zero emissions.

The course will be held on 1 October 2024 – 4 February 2025. Please refer to the course syllabus for detailed information on the content, schedule, activities, assignments, evaluation criteria, etc.

NOTE: UNU-IAS is currently developing a Diploma Programme for Specialization on the Paris Agreement (SPA). Although the details are still under discussion, this course may be counted as a part of the Diploma Programme (subject to change).

Eligibility

This course is designed for:

• students who are currently enrolled in a master’s or PhD programme in any discipline;
• professionals (with a college or university degree) working in Japan or other countries; and
• those who wish to pursue careers in international fields in public service or private organizations, including the United Nations, multinational corporations, and non-governmental organizations, as well as national foreign service organizations.

Language Requirements

The course will be conducted in English. Excellent written and verbal English language skills are required. The expected language test scores are:

• TOEFL: minimum 600 on paper-based test / minimum 100 on online test
• IELTS: 7.0

Course Modality

This course will be conducted in a hybrid mode. Lectures will be held in person at UNU headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, and live streamed using Zoom.

If you would like to participate remotely, please be mindful of the time difference in your location (Japan time is UTC +9). Please also ensure that you have regular access to a computer equipped with a speaker, microphone and a webcam, as well as a reliable high-speed internet connection for an optimal learning experience.

Schedule

The course consists of fifteen 100-minute sessions (sessions take place on Tuesday). A detailed schedule is available in the syllabus.

Credit Transfer

The course is designed to be equivalent to 2 credits. Students who successfully complete the course will be awarded 2 credits with a transcript. While a number of universities have negotiated credit transfer agreements with UNU-IAS, ultimately the decision on whether credits are transferrable will be made by the student’s university.

Contact

For more information, please contact the IC Secretariat at icsec@unu.edu