Climate Solutions (edX)

It tackles the biggest challenge of our time – climate change – by giving each of us the knowledge and tools we need to make a real difference.
Designed to be accessible and engaging throughout, it provides the facts you need to know about what climate change is, and the solutions you need to know so you can be part of fighting it.
You’ll learn about the solutions needed from governments and big business, how you can help to make them do more, and what you can do yourself.
This innovative course, regardless of your background, will teach you why climate change is important, allowing you to better understand the challenge it represents and, most importantly, what you can do about it.
Core topics include:

• the science behind climate change and its causes;
• the impacts it is already having and could have in the future;
• what governments and business need to do;
• how each of us can take action, from what we do at home right through to who we vote for and what stuff we choose to buy.

Through the award-winning teaching approaches of the University of Edinburgh’s faculty team this open access course brings an engaging and action-focussed approach to tackling the climate emergency.
Taught by instructors with decades of experience in climate change and online learning, this empowering course is a collaboration between leading experts in the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

What you'll learn

• What climate change is, and what causes it
• Why it’s important to you, everyone you know, and all life on our planet
• What governments and big business need to do
• How you can tackle climate change in every facet of your life

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction to Climate Solutions
Introduction to climate change, its impacts and why it should matter to you.
Week 2: The Science of Climate Solutions
The causes of climate change, where emissions come from, and why ‘1.5 degrees’ and ‘Net Zero’ are the two most important numbers in the world.
Week 3: The Levers of Climate Solutions
How climate change can be tackled through actions right across societies; the strategies that can and are being used; and the need to prepare for the impacts of climate change as well as to cut emissions.
Week 4: Climate Solutions for Nations
What governments and big institutions are (and aren’t) doing so far to fight climate change, and what they need to do now.
Week 5: Climate Solutions for You
How each of us can take action, from home, work and studies, through to what we buy and who we vote for.