Unit information: Green and Sustainable Finance in 2025/26

Please note: Programme and unit information may change as the relevant academic field develops. We may also make changes to the structure of programmes and assessments to improve the student experience.

Unit name Green and Sustainable Finance
Unit code ACFIM0018
Credit points 20
Level of study M/7
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director Dr. Nguyen
Open unit status Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)

None

Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)

None

Units you may not take alongside this one

None

School/department School of Accounting and Finance - Business School
Faculty Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?

Climate change is the defining political and economic challenge of this century. Governments, investors, businesses, and private individuals are all taking action to decarbonize the economy.

This unit will enable students to understand how to align investment strategies with sustainability objectives, manage environmental risks, incentivize and promote green investments, design sustainable financing mechanisms and instruments, and explore how regulatory frameworks in financial markets support the transition to an inclusive net-zero economy.

The unit equips students with practical competencies in green and sustainable finance and the nuances of climate change. Consequently, this unit complements existing core units, deepening students' understanding and ability to evaluate how climate change, decarbonization strategies, and green taxonomies intersect with major functions in the financial sector, influencing firms, business models, investments, and risk management.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study?

The unit will equip students with practical competencies in sustainable finance and climate change. Consequently, this unit is an ideal elective for these PGT programmes, complementing existing core units and deepening students' understanding of how climate change, decarbonization strategies, and green taxonomies intersect major functions in the financial sector, influencing firms, business models, investments, and risk management.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

This module first lays the foundation for understanding the fundamentals of sustainable finance. It then delves into key dimensions of how climate change can be mitigated through green finance and discusses the role of key players in finance in facilitating the transition to net-zero and promoting long-term sustainable business models.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

Students will gain a deeper awareness of the pivotal role the financial system plays in decarbonizing the economy and will become subject-matter experts in green finance. They will be equipped to articulate the effects of climate risks, understand how green finance helps address and mitigate these risks, and actively engage in discussions about achieving a sustainable corporate landscape that benefits society.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the module, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate comprehension of how climate risks and climate regulations impact activities within both the corporate and financial sectors;
  2. Critically appraise the role of the financial sector in facilitating the transition to a decarbonized economy and in incentivizing long-term sustainable business models;
  3. Analyse how equity and debt holders assess financial and non-financial terms when investing in green initiatives and sustainable projects;
  4. Gauge the extent to which corporations, banks, and regulators can encourage greener initiatives, manage climate risks, and support the transition to a net-zero economy for the benefit of society;
  5. Critically evaluate ongoing discussions surrounding contemporary issues in green and sustainable finance.

How you will learn

Teaching includes a combination of lectures and smaller group workshops.

  • Weekly lectures will take place in a traditional lecture setting. Every effort will be made to ensure these sessions are engaging and interactive, emphasizing student participation through questions, exercises and case studies.
  • Interactive workshops will take place in which students will actively engage in discussions on topics, case studies and real-life examples aligned with the themes from the lectures. Students will also go through real-world application exercises to better prepare for summative assessments in interactive workshops.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

  • Ongoing formative assessment of students' comprehension of the subject will be conducted during small group tutorials.
  • Students will have the opportunity to present ideas stemming from their reading of news, articles, or case studies related to green finance during group exercises in tutorials.
  • Self-assessment and peer-reviewed feedback will be incorporated.
  • Extensive supportive materials will be accessible via Blackboard, allowing students to assess independently. Peer reviews are designed to facilitate learning from one another and to provide formative feedback on assignments.

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

45% - Group assignment - 2,500 words

Students will be required to form groups at the beginning of the term. Each group is required to demonstrate their ability to analyse a question based on real-world data in the context of green and sustainable finance.

All students will receive the same mark. The assignment theme will be based on the themes covered in the module. Students will be assessed upon their ability to demonstrate their ability to critically reflect on the appropriate academic literature or practical evidence/reports, apply appropriate analytical tools, analyse empirical results, and evaluate and appraise them in the context of the material covered in lectures (ILO1, ILO2, ILO3, ILO4 and ILO5).

55% - Individual assignment - 1,500 words

The individual assignment requires students to independently make reasonable judgments on a topic of green and sustainable finance by critically reflecting on appropriate academic literature/practical evidence, analysing data, and critically evaluating findings. (ILO1, ILO2, ILO3, ILO4 and ILO5).

When assessment does not go to plan

When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed:

  • If a student needs to retake the 45% group assignment, it will be replaced with an equivalent individual assignment (500 words).
  • The reassessment for the 55% individual assignment will be a new submission but take the same form as the main assessment as an individual assignment at 1,500 words.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ACFIM0018).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.

The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.