Energy Transition & Carbon Markets learning path: everything to study, topic by topic

Understanding what decarbonization means, the main sources of emissions across sectors, and the difference between absolute and intensity-based emission reductions.

The definition of net zero, the role of residual emissions and removals, and how net zero differs from carbon neutral and from gross-zero commitments.

How decarbonization pathways are constructed, the role of electrification, energy efficiency, fuel switching, and the concept of a 1.5C-aligned trajectory.

Foundations of greenhouse-gas accounting: the main gases, global warming potential, CO2 equivalence, and the difference between location-based and market-based accounting.

How emissions trading systems (ETS) work, the role of regulators, covered sectors, and how a price signal on carbon emerges from a regulated market.

The mechanics of cap-and-trade systems: setting the cap, declining trajectories, banking and borrowing, and market stability mechanisms.

Trading of emission allowances: free allocation versus auctioning, secondary markets, hedging, and the relationship between allowance prices and abatement costs.

Building a compliance strategy for a regulated emitter: surrender obligations, abate-versus-buy decisions, leakage risk, and multi-year hedging.

What a carbon offset is, how it differs from an allowance, the voluntary buyer landscape, and the concept of compensating residual emissions with credits.

The lifecycle of a carbon credit from issuance to retirement: vintage, serialization, transfer, and the prevention of double counting.

Integrity of voluntary carbon markets: core carbon principles, claims integrity, greenwashing risk, and the role of independent integrity bodies.

The role of carbon registries and crediting standards, methodologies, and how standards govern credit eligibility and tracking.

The main categories of carbon projects: nature-based solutions, renewable energy, improved cookstoves, and engineered removals, with their characteristic risk profiles.

How a project baseline is established, the test for additionality, and how counterfactual scenarios determine credited emission reductions.

Measurement, reporting and the data systems behind MRV: monitoring plans, remote sensing, uncertainty, and quantification of emission reductions.

Independent verification and audit of carbon projects: validation versus verification, auditor competencies, materiality, and reasonable assurance.

Setting science-based targets aligned to climate science: near-term and long-term targets, target boundaries, and validation against the SBTi framework.

The GHG Protocol scopes: direct scope 1, purchased-energy scope 2, and value-chain scope 3, including category mapping and the challenge of scope 3 data.

Power purchase agreements for renewables: physical versus virtual PPAs, additionality of procurement, and the link to scope 2 reductions.

Building an integrated corporate decarbonization strategy: marginal abatement curves, capital allocation, internal carbon pricing, and credible transition planning.

Green bonds and use-of-proceeds instruments: green bond principles, eligible projects, impact reporting, and the risk of greenwashing in labelled debt.

Financing the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors: sustainability-linked instruments, credible transition plans, and avoiding lock-in of high-carbon assets.

Green and sustainable finance taxonomies: substantial contribution criteria, do-no-significant-harm, and the use of taxonomies to classify economic activities.

The global climate policy landscape: international agreements, nationally determined contributions, carbon pricing instruments, and the interaction of policy levers.

Carbon border adjustment mechanisms: addressing leakage and competitiveness, embedded-emissions accounting, and trade-policy implications for importers and exporters.

Enterprise-level transition strategy under policy uncertainty: scenario planning, stranded-asset risk, stakeholder alignment, and long-horizon strategic positioning.