Strong sustainability and Europe (FUN)

Sustainable development, popularized by the Brundtland Report, was defined at the end of the 1980s in three spheres (economic, environmental and social). It is this representation that continues today to be disseminated to the public and to large companies. The objective of this MOOC is to question the major challenges of development for Europe in a perspective of strong sustainability (energy, climate, biodiversity, food, mobility, agriculture, natural resources, education...) and to propose alternatives.

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Recent debates on the collapse of biodiversity, climate change and the scarcity of water resources tend to highlight the planetary boundaries and the consequences of human activities on the environment. It is no longer the time for mitigation or adaptation policies; we need to change our behavior.

Various international experts (1) present an objective assessment of the situation, (2) identify the leverage points that need to be activated, and (3) propose solutions or alternatives to the status quo.

Format

The MOOC consists of 10 sessions that will take place over 12 weeks. Each session requires approximately 4 hours of work per week. The MOOC will alternate between videos from teachers and recognized experts, discussion forums and mind maps with peer evaluation.
Prerequisites

The MOOC is aimed at high school students, bachelor and master students, professionals in the field and in general at any citizen wishing to understand the main issues of society.

The prerequisites here refer to the emergence of the concept of sustainable development (Brundtland report) and the three spheres (economic, ecological, social). This knowledge is above all interdisciplinary. Biology, physics, geography, history, law, economics, sociology, philosophy, psychology... allow us to grasp the question of sustainability. They also imply the use of a method - systems thinking - to better define the limits of the Earth system.

Assessment and certification

This MOOC provides you every week to make your mental map in the dedicated forum and share your thoughts with your peers. The members of the pedagogical team will animate the forums and validate the mental map in order to deliver a final certificate.

Course plan

Week 0: Introduction

Week 1: Paradigms Shift

Week 2: Shifting our Socio-Economic Models

Week 3: Gaining a better understanding of the scarcity of natural resources

Week 4: Bringing out a new agriculture

Week 5:Reviewing our food models

Week 6: Designing New Energy Systems

Week 7: Rethinking our territories and our cities

Week 8: Revisiting our mobilities

Week 9: Transforming our Educational Models

Week 10: Relational transition