Postgraduate Courses

This course explores the concepts of climate neutrality and climate change from a multidisciplinary perspective. The course covers the scientific, technological, economic, political, and social aspects of climate neutrality and climate change, including mitigation and adaptation strategies, carbon accounting, renewable energy, energy efficiency, carbon markets, climate policy, and international climate negotiations. The course also examines the ethical and justice dimensions of climate change, including the distributional impacts of climate policies and the responsibilities of different actors in addressing climate change. By the end of the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities of achieving climate neutrality and addressing climate change, as well as the skills to engage in cutting-edge research in this field.

In the digital age, the proliferation of big data—from social media text to high-resolution satellite imagery—provides unprecedented opportunities to analyze human behavior and environmental systems. This course equips postgraduate students in applied economics, public policy, and sustainability studies with cutting-edge data science techniques to address complex social and environmental challenges.Students will learn to collect, process, analyze, and visualize large-scale datasets, utilizing methodologies such as machine learning, high-dimensional econometrics, and spatial analysis. Through problem sets and independent projects, students will develop the computational and statistical frameworks necessary to evaluate policy impacts, quantify emissions, and drive decision-making toward sustainable and carbon-neutral futures.

This course introduces the fundamentals of research design in interdisciplinary studies. We start by examining how natural and social scientists formulate puzzles and questions, and discussing the processes of theorization, concept formation and measurement. We then study how researchers test claims using qualitative and quantitative methods. Such methods include description, controlled comparisons, and experiments. We conclude with a discussion of the role of big data and AI in future research.

Climate policy is all about defining problems, which can be achieved through qualitative research training. This course provides entry level experience, equipping students with basic qualitative research skills by investigating real-world challenges in climate policy intertwined with social contexts. Students will learn to design research projects, collect data, conduct interviews, analyze fieldwork data, generate insights, communicate their findings in written and oral formats, and evaluate qualitative research. Throughout the course, students apply their research competencies to policy questions and social challenges relevant to their own interests, ensuring immediate practical value in professional and academic contexts. Students are encouraged to contribute their own topics to class discussions and develop their own methodological perspectives.

This course prepares students to acquire the basic knowledge of climate change, which sits on the intersection of science and governance. It will review some of the scientific facts of climate change and contrast the scientific research findings with climate governance status. Case study on transforming to a low carbon society will be conducted in later part of the course. Aspects to consider include both scientific support and governance complexity of the low carbon city idea. Students are expected to build their own analysis of the climate change issue at the end of the course.

All industries in China are actively taking effective actions to develop new and clean technologies in order to achieve the carbon peak and neutrality goal of shouldering the common destiny of human beings. This course examines the scientific, technological, and policy approaches that China and the rest of the world can take to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality.

This is a graduate-level interdisciplinary course focusing on the economics of environmental and sustainable development problems and the solutions to those problems. Students will learn to use tools from applied economics and relevant disciplines to better understand and evaluate a series of current policy questions, such as air and water pollution, climate change, environmental amenities, agricultural production, ecosystem services, and biodiversity.

This course is designed for students who are interested in advancing their knowledge and research skills in the area of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and cleaner fossil energy. The course will cover the latest advances in CCS and cleaner fossil energy technologies, policies, and practices, and their potential to mitigate climate change and promote sustainable energy development. Throughout the course, students will engage in critical analysis of the scientific literature, case studies, and policy debates related to CCS and cleaner fossil energy. They will also have the opportunity to develop their research skills by conducting independent research on a topic related to CCS and cleaner fossil energy, and presenting their findings to the class.

This course provides an in-depth examination of the economics and policy issues surrounding energy. Topics include energy demand and supply, market structures, renewable energy technologies, fossil fuels, energy security, climate change, transportation, innovation, and policy analysis. Students will also participate in a research project to apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios.

This course explores the challenges associated with climate change, energy and environmental policies from multiple perspectives, disciplines and scales. Students will examine the evolving science and policy of climate change, observe the conflicts between energy companies and interest groups in China, discuss technology innovations and its impact on reducing greenhouse gases emission.

Climate change poses systemic risks to our economy and society. This course provides students with the analytical framework to understand, quantify, and manage climate-related risks. We will explore both physical risks from a changing climate and transition risks arising from the shift to a low-carbon economy. Students will gain hands-on experience with empirical assessment and scenario analysis. Through individual assignments and a collaborative project, students will develop the skills to critically examine the economic and social trade-offs involved in addressing complex climate change challenges.

This course introduces the scientific principles and practical methods for quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using both bottom-up and top-down approaches. Through lectures, readings, and data analysis exercises, students will develop skills to interpret GHG fluxes, evaluate methodological strengths and limitations, and integrate complementary approaches for robust emission assessments. The course emphasizes both theoretical foundations and up-to-date research literature.

This course provides an overall structural understanding of an economy that is transformed from a fossil-fuelbased, carbon-intensive system into a renewable-energy-based, zero-carbon one. Students will learn the principles and the processes of zero-carbon transformation, and investigate into how and whether a zero-carbon economy is made operational for sustainability and prosperity.

This interdisciplinary course will provide students a systematic framework of the interplay between urban growth and the environment from economic perspectives. By walking them through the state-of-the-art research in urban and environmental economic studies from both developing and developed countries, it will familiarize students with popular empirical strategies in applied economics and relevant fields to solve the most pressing environmental challenges accompanied with fast-urbanized cities. By the end of the class, students will be equipped with toolkits to evaluate policy questions in transportation, pollution and health, climate change, energy transition, housing market, and environmental justice.

Independent study in a designated subject under direct guidance of a faculty member to provide students theadvanced knowledge and research skill sets on carbon neutrality and climate change related topics. Required readings, tutorial discussions, and submission of report(s) will be used for assessment. The course may be repeated for credit if different topics are studied. Graded P or F.

This course covers emerging topics of Carbon Neutrality and Climate Change concerns not covered in the present curriculum. The course aims to provide students with advanced knowledge and research skill sets on a Carbon Neutrality and Climate Change topic. Required readings, tutorial discussions, and submission of report(s) will be used for assessment. The course may be repeated for credit if different topics are studied. May be graded by letter or P/F for different offerings.

This course is expected to expose the RPg students to the current carbon neutrality and climate change research and development, and provide them with opportunities to make social contacts with the speakers in environmental and climate change communities. This course will be an essential part of training for our RPg students. Graded P or F.

This course is expected to expose the RPg students to the current carbon neutrality and climate change research and development, and provide them with opportunities to make social contacts with the speakers inenvironmental and climate change communities. This course will be an essential part of training for our RPg students. Seminar II is an extension of Seminar I. While the overall design of the seminar course looks essentially the same, topics covered and guests invited will be differentiated. Graded P or F.

Master's thesis research supervised by supervisors from different disciplines. A successful defense of the thesis leads to the grade Pass. No course credit is assigned.

Original and independent doctoral thesis research supervised by supervisors from different disciplines. A successful defense of the thesis leads to the grade Pass. No course credit is assigned.