Course Content

Human actions are transforming our planet at an unprecedented rate, causing global warming, species extinction, environmental degradation and numerous related problems and conflicts. Consequently, the world is grappling with a triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution. In this course, we explore the interconnected nature of these emergencies through multiple angles and across disciplines. You will thus be able to acquire the interdisciplinary knowledge necessary to address the planetary crisis and seek future-oriented solutions.

Course Goals

This MOOC will introduce you to multidisciplinary perspectives on environmental emergencies, covering a variety of interrelated issues centred around the major topics of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution. You will gain an understanding of the complexities of these problems and acquire knowledge beyond your own field of study. We encourage you to think critically about what you learn and engage productively with the global challenges we are facing.

Previous Knowledge

To take this course, no prior knowledge of the topics covered is needed. If you are here because you are curious about a planetary perspective on the environmental emergencies in our globalised world and you wish to understand the drivers of these changes, then this is the best prerequisite for taking this course.

Our course is designed for students of all disciplines. It is also intended for a broader general audience of interested learners. The units cover a wide range of topics across academic disciplines and allow you to gain basic insights into all of them, without specific knowledge of the respective field.

Course Procedure

Certificate

For actively participating in the course you will receive an automatic certificate which includes your username, the course name as well as the completed lessons. We want to point out that this certificate merely confirms that the user answered at least 75% of the self-assessment questions correctly.

Licence

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Course Overview

• Unit 1: Climate Change
  • Course Introduction
  • The Anthropocene: Climate, Nature and Human Responsibilities
  • A Shared History: Environmental Activism and the Sciences
  • Understanding Climate Change: The Role of Atmospheric Trace Gases and Aerosols
  • The Carbon Cycle and the Global Climate System
  • Earth System Science: Tipping Points and Feedback Loops
  • Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change
  • Climate as a Social Phenomenon: Perceiving and Addressing Environmental Change
  • Climate Anxiety and Coping

• Unit 2: Biodiversity Loss
  • Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Challenges in the Anthropocene
  • Terrestrial Biodiversity Loss: Drivers and Implications
  • Plant Biodiversity and Anthropogenic Impact
  • Ocean Warming and Threats to Marine Biodiversity
  • Planetary Boundaries Being Crossed: Interlinks and Differences Between Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycles
  • Environmental Politics and Agreement-Making in Ocean Protection
  • Agriculture as Major Pressure on Planet Earth: Feeding 10 Billion People

• Unit 3: Environmental Pollution
  • The Social Life of Waste
  • Plastic Planet: How Pollution Impacts Our Lives and Environments
  • Forever Chemicals: From Silent Spring to Global PFAS Pollution
  • Curse and Necessity: Metals in the Environment
  • The Antimicrobial Resistance Crisis
  • The Exposome and Its Impact on Human Health
  • The Potential of Private Law in the Context of Environmental and Climate Emergencies
  • The Dust We Breathe: Culture, Health and the Planet in Crisis

• Unit 4: Integrating Perspectives
  • Cities in the Light of Crises: Opportunities to Adapt and Transform
  • Governing the Socio-Ecological Transformation
  • Behaviour Change: From the Individual to the System
  • Environmental Justice: Imperial and Solidary Modes of Living
  • Environmental Action: Evidence and Participation
  • The Politics of Net-Zero in Sustainability Transformation
  • Course Summary & Outlook
    

Copyright

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