ENS5320 Climate change risk, resilience and security
Faculty of Science
ENS5320 Climate change risk, resilience and security is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Science, offered in 2023 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2023
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 5 tasks
This is the 2023 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ENS5320
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ENS5320
No unit lists ENS5320 as a prerequisite in the 2023 handbook.
Enrolment rules
PREREQUISITE: This is a specialist core unit for the Environmental Security specialisation. Non-cognate students in this specialisation must complete preparatory studies (Part B) or ENS5010 prior to undertaking this specialist unit. If you are undertaking this unit as an elective within other specialisations you must consult with the unit coordinator about assumed foundational knowledge and preparatory material.
Students enrolled in S6004 Master of Food Science and Agribusiness will require manual enrolment.
Overview
This unit examines climate change risk and its relationship to climate security – a nexus between energy, food, water and human security related to the impacts of climate change. The unit pays special attention to developing knowledge for enhancing climate resilience, that is, the ability to cope with and reduce the risks of climate change.
Fundamental knowledge related to the science of climate change and climate risk, and solutions to improve resilience in human and natural systems via adaptation and mitigation, are explored.
The unit will develop skills in applying fundamental scientific knowledge and data for examining contemporary climate change issues, including climate-related disasters and the impacts of climate trends. There is a focus on skills enhancement for robust decision-making for complex problems that contain deep uncertainty; and for problems that have a strong intersection between biophysical and human systems.
You will gain key knowledge of: likely future climate changes at the regional and global scale; the development of storylines of future climates; the utility and limitations of climate models; vulnerability assessment of climate change impacts; relationships between climate impacts and security; and mitigation and adaptation responses that promote resilience to climate change, including policy and regulatory frameworks.
The unit incorporates a 1 day field trip to examine climate change risk and related vulnerabilities in Melbourne.
Offerings in 2023
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | Block on |
Assessment
- Assessment task 1: Reflective pieces (individual)OtherCompetency hurdle15%
- Assessment task 2: Climate change negotiations (group)10%
- Assessment task 3: Mini quizzes (individual)15%
- Assessment task 4: Climate risk report (individual)OtherCompetency hurdle25%
- Assessment task 5: Vulnerability assessment and response (group)Other35%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Analyse and assess the key elements of climate risk using a range of data sources from biophysical and human systems;
- 2
Evaluate and compare the range of future responses of the climate system, and relate these to changes in climate risk and climate security;
- 3
Assess the role that human and biophysical systems play in the deep uncertainty related to decision-making on climate change risk;
- 4
Develop appropriate strategies for planning, managing and evaluating climate change risk;
- 5
Apply effective communication skills for collaboration on climate change issues across academia, government and non-governmental and corporate organisations and negotiate diverse perspectives on relevant topics.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures12 hours
- Workshops24 hours
- Teaching approachField trips
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
- Teaching approachOnline learning
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Contact hours: 1 hour per week of online delivery;
- Eight hours per week in three block-on weeks;
- Six hours at a field trip in one block-on week and
- Additional requirements of at least 9-hours of independent pre and post class work, including assessment activities.
Learning resources
Recommended resources
Textbooks: You are not required to purchase any textbooks for this unit. All resources, such as readings, are provided online as part of the weekly pre-work with new materials introduced week by week.
Master of Environment and Sustainability Moodle Home: This is a central location for general course news, events, discussions, support services, Part D information, and resources: http://moodle.vle.monash.edu/course/view.php?id=33086
Research and Learning Online: This contains modules, which you can use as needed and when needed, to develop study skills for academic success. This includes example assignment structures for different disciplines and other useful materials to get your assignments done. Access the website via: https://www.monash.edu/rlo
Where it fits
ENS5320 is part of 3 areas of study in the 2023 handbook.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Ariaan Purich
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Ariaan Purich
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ENS5320?
ENS5320 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ENS5320 offered?
In 2023, ENS5320 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
Does ENS5320 have an exam?
No. ENS5320 has 5 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ENS5320?
ENS5320 is part of Atmospheric science, Earth science and Environmental security.