Course Overview
The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) resulted from recognition that climate change was unequivocal and anthropogenic. It laid the foundation for mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, monitoring, and reporting. The first protocol under the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol, agreed upon in 1997, furthered the Convention's objectives, with set timelines and targets. In 2015, the Paris Agreement under the UNFCCC was adopted, committing all countries to climate action based on their capabilities and intentions.
So far, human activities have caused approximately 1.1°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels, and this is likely to reach 1.5°C by 2040 if warming continues to increase at the current rate. Therefore, the Paris Agreement faces a much greater task in tackling the global climate crisis, requiring much more far-reaching impacts across economic, social, and environmental domains.
The revived climate change regime under the Paris Agreement includes new market mechanisms, transparency arrangements, reporting requirements, and global stocktaking assessments. Therefore, it is important to understand the modalities under the Paris Agreement for its effective implementation at the national and global levels. This course provides an overview of the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement, and develops understanding of mitigation, adaptation, and implementation of articles and mechanisms under the agreement.
The course will be held from 6 October 2026 for four months. Please refer to the syllabus in the programme brochure for detailed information on the content, schedule, activities, assignments, evaluation criteria, etc.
Eligibility
This course is designed for:
- students who are currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral degree programme in any discipline, at any university;
- professionals (with a college or university degree) in various occupations in Japan and abroad;
- those who wish to pursue careers in international fields, including public service and private organizations, such as the United Nations, multinational corporations, and non-governmental organizations, as well as national foreign service organizations.
Language Requirements
This postgraduate level 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
Modality
This course will be conducted in person only. Lectures will be held at UNU headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
Schedule
The course consists of fifteen 100-minute sessions (one or two per day). A detailed schedule is available in the syllabus.
Fees
The course fee is JPY 200,000.
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. Several universities have negotiated credit transfer agreements with UNU-IAS, but ultimately the decision on whether credits are transferable will be made by the student's university.
Course Completion
Upon completion of the course, UNU-IAS will issue an official transcript, which will be sent by mail once the grade is confirmed.
Application Procedures
- Review the syllabus and application form, and prepare application materials.
- Submit the application using the online application form. The application deadline is 23 August 2026, 23:59 (JST/UTC+9).
- Successful applicants will be notified via email by early September 2026. They will be asked to confirm their intention to participate in the course and pay the course fee by the designated due date.
Notes
- The application form may take up to 30–60 minutes to fill out and it must be completed in English. The form is composed of six sections. There are back and next buttons at the bottom of each section, which enable you to go back and forth between sections and edit your answers before you press the submit button at the end of the form. However, please note that the application must be done in one sitting — it is not possible to save the form and resume it later.
- Those applicants who have not yet obtained a bachelor’s degree will be required to provide a letter of reference.
- Email will be the primary method of communication with UNU-IAS IC Secretariat. It is essential that you provide a valid email address in the application form. Please ensure that your email provider does not direct emails from icsec@unu.edu to spam or junk folders. UNU-IAS will not be held responsible for unread email communication.
Please note that no financial support or scholarship will be provided for this course.
Contact
For more information, please contact the IC Secretariat at icsec@unu.edu