Carbon Markets: Examining EU Policies for Transnational Climate Action (FutureLearn)

However, many transnational corporations and states have not made a change to reduce their negative impact on the planet.

On this five-week course from the European University Institute (EUI), you’ll assess the EU’s efforts in creating climate policy instruments that enforce global action.

Discover the benefits and challenges of carbon tax and other policy instruments

Climate policy instruments are multifaceted and possess inherent advantages and disadvantages.

You will understand and discuss the different policy instruments created by the EU, such as carbon tax, cap-and-trade, and more. Aided by the experts at the EUI, you’ll be able to critically evaluate each policy’s benefits and challenges.
Apply the EU’s carbon market approach to diverse economies and contexts

Creating climate policy instruments that can benefit and motivate various countries and international economies can prove challenging.

On this course, you’ll apply the EU’s carbon market instruments to other policy contexts and governance levels. Through this exercise, you’ll be able to examine their efficacy in transnational markets.
Define the measures needed to accelerate global climate action with EUI

Sustainability measures are crucial to slowing the progress of climate change, and it’s imperative to set attainable and trackable procedures.

This course is developed and led by experts in the field of international climate policy. With their guidance, you’ll be empowered to identify what steps are needed to ensure global climate action that can change the world.

Syllabus

Week 1: A Multilateral Approach to Climate Policy And The Many Instruments of the EU

Week 2: The EU Emissions Trading System

Week 3: Carbon Pricing and the EU Transport Sector

Week 4: Carbon Pricing and the Energy Sector

Week 5: Financing the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy

Learning on this course

You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- identify the main elements of the International Climate Agreements

- describe the main elements of these international agreements and policies that were developed in response by the EU and other countries

- identify the most important features of the Paris Agreement, and its strength and weaknesses

- identify the different EU climate policy instruments as well as the lessons learnt from the EU climate policy-making experience

- evaluate the importance of applying a price to carbon emissions and give a summary of the main elements of the design of the Emissions Trading System

- explain why the EU ETS has been designed this way

- describe the scope of this instruments and the emerging issues, especially regarding the counties outside the EU

- report CO2 targets and average emissions from transport (road, aviation and shipping)

- evaluate the key policy instruments at EU level to reduce emissions in the road transport sector

- describe an overview of current and future EU and international legislation in aviation and shipping

- describe the main elements of the EU’s energy policy

- identify the main challenges and opportunities of increased renewable energy production and consumption

- describe the various benefits of energy efficiency measures for the EU

- describe the main characteristics of low carbon investments

- summarise EU financial instruments for the transition to a low carbon economy

- identify the main de-risking instruments for attracting private finance for low-carbon investments

- evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of voluntary carbon markets
Who is the course for?

This course is ideal for policy-makers or practitioners working in the area of climate governance and carbon markets, and will be suitable for newcomers to the field.