Climate Change

Climate change is the biggest global challenge the human race has ever faced. Our insatiable demand for energy from fossil fuels is changing the atmosphere, and in turn changing our climate. Climate change is already affecting the physical surface of the earth, the environment that provides our life support, our food supply, economy and society. These changes will accelerate over the next few decades

In this course you will explore the impacts of climate change; why we should care about them, the science that underpins our understanding and how we can fix the problem before it’s too late.

What will I learn?

• Why human activities are changing the climate
• How our knowledge of science underpins what we know about the past, present and future climate
• What our future might hold, and why we should care about it
• Why an increase of 2 or 4°C in global average temperature is important
• How the changing climate is affecting, and will continue to affect, the incidence and impacts of extreme weather events
• The role of extreme events and the effect it has on our species, ecosystems, coastlines, food supply, health, infrastructure, economy and security
• How climate change is likely to exacerbate existing problems of social inequality
• How climate change will interact with other pressures on global systems such as ecosystem degradation and human population growth
• Why fixing the climate problem is urgent, and how the timing of solutions is critical
• The relative contributions that different emission reduction solutions have had on solving the climate problem

This course requires approximately 2 - 4 hours of study per week, but can vary depending on the student. This includes watching videos, and taking quizzes and assessments.

If you pass this course you'll receive a Certificate of Achievement. While this certificate isn't a formal qualification or credit, you can use it to demonstrate your interest in learning about this area to potential employers or educational institutions.

Where could this lead me?

If you're wondering what your future could look like in this area, here are some potential careers you could head towards.

• Sustainability project officer
• Sustainability / Climate policy officer
• Urban development officer
• Sustainability manager
• Environmental and social sustainability consultant
• Sustainability project manager
• Sustainability officer
• Environmental and social sustainability officer

MODULE 1: CLIMATE CHANGE: WHY SHOULD WE CARE?     MODULE 2: WHAT’S HAPPENING AND WHY?     MODULE 3: WILL WE COPE?     MODULE 4: FIXING IT