Act on Climate: Steps to Individual, Community, and Political Action from Coursera

Are you concerned about climate change? Would you like to learn how to address and respond to this challenge? If so, this course is for you.

Act on Climate: Steps to Individual, Community, and Political Action is intended to help learners understand, address and respond to climate change as individuals and in partnership with their communities and political leaders. The course focuses on how to translate learning into action on climate change in the areas of food, energy, transportation and the built environment (cities). This course was co-developed and taught by Michaela Zint, Professor of Environmental Education and Communication, and University of Michigan Students. A range of academic climate change experts and professional leaders are featured.

As a result of completing this course, you will be able to:

1) Identify individual, community, and political actions you can engage in to effectively address and respond to climate change.

2) Describe how insights from the social sciences can be employed to create change at the individual, community, and political levels.

3) Feel empowered to continue to influence how you, your community, and political leaders address and respond to climate change.

Use #UMichActonClimate on social media to share what you're doing and connect with other learners.

What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction

As part of this introductory lesson, we will help you explore your motivations for taking this course, briefly introduce you to the current state of climate science and policy, and prepare you for taking actions on climate change throughout the course.

Food

Food is part of our everyday lives. From breakfast to dinner, we make choices that affect the planet. This week, you will hear from Chris about his journey toward vegetarianism, and you will learn from Dr. Sara Soderstrom about social movement theory and food businesses in Detroit, as well as actions that you can take to make food choices that can mitigate climate change.

Energy

We use energy in almost everything we do, but there are also many ways we can reduce emissions from our energy consumption. This week, you will hear from Benjamin about saving energy in cold winters and from Dr. Kaitlin Raimi about the theory of environmental peer persuasion. You will also learn several actions you can take to reduce energy consumption in your home, on your campus, and in your community.

Transportation

Transportation is part of everyday life. This week, you will hear from Stephanie about the collective impact of personal transportation decisions and from Brandon Schoettle about how driving decisions impact greenhouse gas emissions. You will also examine popular ride-hailing services, as well as actions that you can take to make transportation choices that can mitigate climate change, and ultimately you will learn to support a more resilient transportation system.

Built Environment

There is a complex relationship between our lives and the built infrastructure with which we interact on a daily basis. This week, you will learn about one theory of urban design - “New Urbanism” - and use it as a way to explore these relationships and how you can reimagine the built environment as a means to act on climate change. You will also learn about how one city used deliberative democracy to transform their built environment and move toward carbon neutrality. Together, the content will assist you in identifying how the built environment can be transformed to address the effects of climate change.

Climate Action Plan

This week, you will apply ideas you learned in this course, learn about another relevant social change theory, and develop your own Personal Climate Action Plan. As part of this plan you will identify individual and community-related actions that you can take to mitigate the impact of increased greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change after completing this course.

Conclusion

You have now learned about a variety of theories of social change and tried a range of mitigation and adaptation actions. We hope that this will not be the end! During this concluding week, we will provide you with resources to continue to engage in climate actions, including: making new practices “stick,” how to work with your community, and why you might even consider making a bigger commitment, like running for political office.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Focuses on actions that individuals, communities, and politicians can take to address and respond to climate change

Provides insights from the social sciences on creating change at the individual, community, and political levels

Emphasizes food, energy, transportation, and the built environment as key areas for climate action

Taught by Michaela Zint, Professor of Environmental Education and Communication, and University of Michigan Students

Involves academic climate change experts and professional leaders as guest speakers

Provides opportunities for learners to develop and implement their own climate action plans

Reviews summary

Very positive course on climate activism

Learners say that this course is a well-structured, highly-rated course about the actions you can take on climate change on the individual, community, and political levels. The engaging assignments help learners think about their own behavior and how to get involved in climate activism. The course is recommended for students of all levels who want to learn more about climate change and what they can do to help.

Recommended for learners of all levels.

"Well crafted course. Recommended for students who want to make a change!!!!!!!"

Engaging assignments to help you reflect on your own behavior.

"It improves the knowledge, and stimulates ones heart to save the planet earth"

"great steps tp reflect your own behavior"

"The final project is not only an assignment to certify, but an opportunity to reflect on the individual, collective and political actions that we can take to face the climate crisis."

Well-structured course for easy learning.

"A very well designed course."

"Comprehensively structured and easy to understand!"

"Perfect workload for a week"

Highly rated course on climate action.

"Best ever,... 🥰😁"

"Very delightful to learn this course"

"Great course to learn about climate action."

Some learners have raised concerns about the grading system.

"Overall, the course content was very good, I was just frustrated by the system they have for grading the final assessment. It is peer graded, but we are given no explanation for why we receive lower grades and no way to reach out to instructors for grade disputes other than flagging the page, which I found ineffective."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Act on Climate: Steps to Individual, Community, and Political Action with these activities:

Review Climate Science Fundamentals

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Strengthen your understanding of the fundamentals of climate science as a foundation for this course.

Browse courses on Climate Science

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Review your notes or textbooks on climate science concepts.
Explore online resources and articles to refresh your knowledge.
Take practice quizzes or tests to assess your understanding.

Explore Climate Data and Tools

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Build your technical skills by exploring online tutorials and resources on climate data and tools.

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Identify specific climate data or tools you want to learn about.
Find online tutorials or resources that provide step-by-step instructions.
Follow the tutorials and practice using the data or tools.

Join a data visualization study group

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Joining a data visualization study group will help you to learn from your peers and improve your understanding of the material.

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Find a study group to join.
Participate in regular study sessions.

Seven other activities

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Participate in Climate Action Group Discussions

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Enhance your communication skills and build your network by actively participating in climate action group discussions.

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Join a climate action group or create your own.
Attend meetings and participate in discussions.
Share your ideas and perspectives.
Collaborate with others to develop and implement climate action initiatives.

Practice Climate Risk Assessment

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Apply the concepts of climate science to real-world scenarios by practicing climate risk assessment.

Browse courses on Climate Risk Assessment

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Identify a specific region or community to focus on.
Research the climate hazards and risks faced by the region.
Assess the vulnerability of the region to these hazards.
Develop adaptation and mitigation strategies to address the risks.

Practice data visualization coding exercises

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Practicing data visualization coding exercises will help you to improve your coding skills and apply them to data visualization tasks.

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Find data visualization coding exercises online.
Solve the exercises to improve your coding skills.

Create a Climate Change Infographic

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Share your understanding of climate change by creating an engaging and informative infographic.

Browse courses on Climate Science

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Choose a specific topic related to climate change to focus on.
Research and gather data from reputable sources.
Design your infographic using visual aids and clear language.
Share your infographic with others through online platforms or presentations.

Create a data visualization project

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Creating a data visualization project will help you to apply the skills you learn in this course to a real-world problem.

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Choose a dataset to explore.
Clean and prepare the data for visualization.
Design and create data visualizations to represent the data.
Write a report to explain your findings.

Develop a Climate Action Plan

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Deepen your understanding of climate change solutions by creating a comprehensive climate action plan.

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Set goals and objectives for your plan.
Identify potential mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Evaluate the costs and benefits of each strategy.
Develop an implementation plan and timeline.
Share your plan with stakeholders and decision-makers.

Develop a Climate Adaptation Plan for Your Community

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Apply your knowledge of climate change to develop a comprehensive adaptation plan for your local community.

Browse courses on Climate Adaptation

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Identify the climate hazards and risks facing your community.
Assess the vulnerability of your community to these hazards.
Develop adaptation strategies to address the risks and build resilience.
Create an implementation plan and timeline for your adaptation measures.
Engage with stakeholders and community members to gather feedback and support.

Career center

Learners who complete Act on Climate: Steps to Individual, Community, and Political Action will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Urban Planner

An Urban Planner designs and plans cities. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different ways that cities can be designed to reduce their environmental impact, the different ways that cities can be planned to adapt to climate change, and the different ways that cities can be made more sustainable.

See salaries and explore the career path for Urban Planner

Environmental Scientist

An Environmental Scientist studies the environment and how human activities affect it. This course can help you understand the science behind climate change and how to take action to address it. You will learn about the different ways that individuals, communities, and political leaders can work together to create a more sustainable future.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Scientist

Transportation Planner

A Transportation Planner designs and plans transportation systems. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different types of transportation systems, the different ways that they can be used to move people and goods, and the different ways that they can be made more sustainable.

See salaries and explore the career path for Transportation Planner

Sustainability Consultant

A Sustainability Consultant helps organizations reduce their environmental impact. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different ways that organizations can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Consultant

Environmental Educator

An Environmental Educator teaches people about the environment and how to protect it. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different ways that you can teach people about the environment, the different ways that you can inspire them to take action, and the different ways that you can create a more sustainable future.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Educator

Climate Change Analyst

A Climate Change Analyst studies the effects of climate change and develops strategies to mitigate its impacts. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the science of climate change, the different ways that it is impacting the planet, and the different ways that we can adapt to and mitigate its effects.

See salaries and explore the career path for Climate Change Analyst

Climate Scientist

A Climate Scientist studies the Earth's climate system. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different components of the climate system, the different ways that they interact with each other, and the different ways that they are changing over time.

See salaries and explore the career path for Climate Scientist

Social Scientist

A Social Scientist studies human society and behavior. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different ways that people interact with the environment, the different ways that they are affected by climate change, and the different ways that they can take action to create a more sustainable future.

See salaries and explore the career path for Social Scientist

Environmental Lawyer

An Environmental Lawyer represents clients in environmental cases. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different types of environmental laws, the different ways that they are enforced, and the different ways that you can use them to protect the environment.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Lawyer

Environmental Policy Analyst

An Environmental Policy Analyst develops and analyzes environmental policies. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different types of environmental policies, the different ways that they are developed, and the different ways that they can be implemented.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Policy Analyst

Environmental Journalist

An Environmental Journalist reports on environmental issues. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different types of environmental issues, the different ways that they are reported on, and the different ways that you can use your writing to make a difference.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Journalist

Environmental Activist

An Environmental Activist works to protect the environment. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different ways that you can take action to protect the environment, the different ways that you can organize people to take action, and the different ways that you can create a more sustainable future.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Activist

Energy Efficiency Consultant

An Energy Efficiency Consultant helps organizations reduce their energy consumption. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different ways that organizations can reduce their energy consumption, the different ways that energy efficiency can be measured, and the different ways that energy efficiency can be improved.

See salaries and explore the career path for Energy Efficiency Consultant

Renewable Energy Engineer

A Renewable Energy Engineer designs and develops renewable energy systems. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different types of renewable energy systems, the different ways that they can be used to generate electricity, and the different ways that they can be made more efficient.

See salaries and explore the career path for Renewable Energy Engineer

Green Building Architect

A Green Building Architect designs and plans buildings that are environmentally friendly. This course can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this role. You will learn about the different ways that buildings can be designed to reduce their environmental impact, the different ways that buildings can be planned to adapt to climate change, and the different ways that buildings can be made more sustainable.

See salaries and explore the career path for Green Building Architect