Climate Change & Development
International Development UEA

Climate change has profound implications for developing countries, and increasingly professionals working in or for developing countries are being asked to integrate climate change management issues into planning, projects and policy. National governments also are increasingly engaged in official communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and other initiatives, which require assessment of vulnerability and adaptive capacity.

The purpose of this short course is to equip non-specialists with a broad understanding of what climate change may mean for low-income populations and what the scope and prospects are for adapting to change in the context of development issues and poverty reduction. The course does not set out to provide a practical ‘toolkit’ guide for policy and practice. Instead it is designed to equip participants with a deeper awareness of the ideas, opportunities and trade-offs represented by adaptation and mitigation: an understanding that is increasingly needed if we are to achieve effective action on climate change. Drawing on staff from some of the world’s leading research institutes on climate change and development (including the School of Development Studies at the University of East Anglia and UK’s The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research), participants will gain a state-of-the-art knowledge and have the opportunity to develop their analytical skills in this field.  

To ensure participants have a full grounding in climate change issues the course incorporates expert sessions on climate science, climate change mitigation and international mechanisms/negotiations relating to climate change. Key emphasis is then placed on vulnerability and adaptation in the context of poverty reduction – exploring what climate change implies in terms of impacts and vulnerability in developing countries, and how to go about building resilience and adaptive capacity at all scales.

Course Contents

Expert inputs to the course will include:

• Climate science
• International policy and implementation mechanisms
• Impacts and vulnerability in the context of development
• Mitigation and development pathways
• Linkages with poverty reduction 

The course is structured to encourage participants to share their ideas through interactive and small-group work. During the course participants will also be expected to work on the preparation and presentation of a project related to their country context or specific professional sector. This will ensure the knowledge and insight gained from the course is immediately grounded in work that has practical relevance for the participant.

This course is designed for people who want to gain a greater understanding of the implications of climate change for developing countries and of the processes, issues and debates surrounding adaptation and mitigation. It is aimed particularly at building the knowledge base of professional staff from government agencies and NGOs who do not have existing specialism in the field but who may have new responsibility or interest in the integration of climate change management into development planning, projects and policy

Wednesday 5 September to Tuesday 18 September 2012 inclusive. 

- Cost: £3,200 (inc accommodation but no meals) - Certificate of Attendance on completion - For further details, contact: The Skills Development Office, International Development UEA, University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ Tel: +44 1603 592340 Fax: +44 1603 591170 Email: devco.train@uea.ac.uk