Introduction to Climate Change and Health (Coursera)

Throughout, the theme of health equity is interwoven by pointing to what factors make some populations more vulnerable than others to climate change’s negative health impacts. Finally, the course explains how measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can not only limit future climate change but can also generate substantial immediate health “co-benefits” over and above the benefit of reducing climate change.

Following completion of the course, students will be able to:

· At an introductory level, describe how the climate has changed, explain the role of greenhouse gases in climate change, and describe how the climate is predicted to change in the future.

· Describe how climate change adversely impacts population health, with differing vulnerability across population sub-groups, through direct effects; through ecosystem transformation and degradation; and through the stress it places on political, economic, and social systems.

· Explain how adaptation and mitigation strategies can reduce adverse health impacts of climate change and can generate substantial non-climate health benefits in a just and equitable manner.

Course 1 of 3 in the Climate Change and Health: From Science to Action Specialization.
What You Will Learn

- Describe how and why the climate is changing and is predicted to change in the future

- Describe the range of adverse health impacts of climate change

- Explain the determinants of vulnerability to extreme weather (heat, storms, and floods)

- Summarize the current understanding of how climate change affects the incidence of infectious diseases

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Welcome to Introduction to Climate Change and Health!

This course begins with an introduction to the science of climate change and how climate change affects human health. It takes a deep dive into climate change’s adverse health effects, including those related to extreme heat, waterborne infections, insect-borne diseases, and exposure to storms and floods. Throughout, the theme of health equity is interwoven by pointing to factors that make some populations more vulnerable than others to climate change’s negative health impacts. Finally, the course explains how measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can not only limit future climate change but can also generate substantial immediate health “co-benefits” over and above the benefit of reducing climate change.

Fundamentals of Climate Change

Why and how is the climate changing? What changes are predicted in the future under different climate change scenarios?

WEEK 2

Overview of Health Impacts of Climate Change, Adaptation, Mitigation, and Co-benefits

How does climate change impact health, and what populations are especially vulnerable to these impacts? How can mitigating climate change provide public health benefits in the short- and long-term?

WEEK 3

Extreme Weather: Heat, Storms, & Floods

How does extreme weather, including heat, storms, and floods, negatively impact human health? What populations are most vulnerable to these health effects and why? How are these negative health effects projected to change in the future under climate change?

WEEK 4

Water-borne Infections and Vector-borne Diseases

What is the relationship between climate change and disease? In particular, how does climate change affect the spread, distribution, and incidence of certain water-borne diseases and vector-borne diseases?

Course conclusion