About this course: 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). It was designed by students for students, faculty, and learning specialists. 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.
Who is this class for: This course was designed for individuals who would like to learn more about actions they can take to lessen the impact of climate change and respond to a changing climate. There are no prerequisites for this course, and we do not assume that you have a background in climate science.
Created by: University of Michigan
Taught by: Michaela Zint, Professor of Environmental Education and Communication
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 7 weeks of study, 2-4 hours per week. |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
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.
3 videos, 15 readings
- Leyendo: Syllabus
- Video: Welcome to the course
- Leyendo: Welcome to Act on Climate
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Introduce yourself
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Help us learn more about you!
- Leyendo: Climate science and policy
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Video: Meet Dahlia
- Leyendo: Climate mitigation and adaptation
- Video: Meet the expert - Dr. Rosina Bierbaum
- Leyendo: Video references and optional resources
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Action types
- Leyendo: Co-benefits and climate justice
- Leyendo: Looking ahead
- Leyendo: Take action to ensure your future success
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Quiz: Assessment of actions
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: What actions did you take?
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Assessment of actions
WEEK 2
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.
2 videos, 15 readings
- Video: Meet Chris
- Leyendo: Food and climate change
- Video: Meet the Expert: Dr. Sara Soderstrom
- Leyendo: Case Study
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Social movements
- Leyendo: Looking ahead
- Leyendo: Anna’s story
- Leyendo: Option 1: Eat less red meat
- Leyendo: Option 2: Reduce food waste
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Brandon’s story
- Leyendo: Engage with your community about food
- Leyendo: Nolan’s story
- Leyendo: Influence decision making
- Leyendo: Alison’s story
- Leyendo: Participate in farmer-to-consumer programs
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Quiz: Assessment of actions
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: What actions did you take?
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Assessment of actions
WEEK 3
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.
2 videos, 13 readings
- Video: Meet Benjamin
- Video: Meet the expert - Dr. Kaitlin Raimi
- Leyendo: Case study
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: What would a climate action plan look like in your community?
- Leyendo: Looking ahead
- Leyendo: Stephanie’s story
- Leyendo: Energy consumption
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Other tools for tracking energy use
- Leyendo: Alison’s story
- Leyendo: Attend a community meeting about alternative energy
- Leyendo: Yousef’s story
- Leyendo: Promote divestment from fossil fuels
- Leyendo: Stephanie’s story
- Leyendo: Prepare for climate-related emergencies
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Quiz: Assessment of actions
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: What actions did you take?
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Assessment of actions
WEEK 4
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.
2 videos, 14 readings
- Video: Meet Stephanie
- Leyendo: Video references and optional resources
- Video: Meet the expert - Brandon Schoettle
- Leyendo: Video references
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Reflection on Brandon’s interview
- Leyendo: Case study
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: The tricky issue of ride-hailing and carpooling
- Leyendo: Looking ahead
- Leyendo: Anne Marie’s story
- Leyendo: Reduce emissions from transportation
- Leyendo: Haley’s story
- Leyendo: Join or organize a community bike event
- Leyendo: Derell’s story
- Leyendo: Interacting with your transit authority
- Leyendo: Encourage resilient transportation
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Quiz: Assessment of actions
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: What actions did you take?
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Assessment of actions
WEEK 5
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.
2 videos, 15 readings
- Video: Meet Haley
- Leyendo: Why the built environment is important
- Video: Meet the expert - Doug Kelbaugh
- Leyendo: Case study
- Leyendo: Lessons from Geraldton - Interview with Janette Hartz-Karp
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Looking ahead
- Leyendo: The breakdown on New Urbanism
- Leyendo: Explore your city with New Urbanism
- Leyendo: Melanie’s story
- Leyendo: Participate in a resource sharing program
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Community resources
- Leyendo: Chris’s story
- Leyendo: Contact local government about using democratic reform
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Deliberative democracy and participatory budgeting near you
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Plant a tree
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Quiz: Assessment of actions
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: What actions did you take?
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Assessment of actions
WEEK 6
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.
2 videos, 6 readings
- Video: Meet Priscila
- Leyendo: Introduction to Climate Action Plans
- Leyendo: Case study
- Video: Meet the expert - Dr. Jennifer Hirsch
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Bringing it home - Community Climate Action Plan
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Apply the asset-based approach to your community
- Leyendo: Introduction to Personal Climate Action Plan Assignment
- Leyendo: Build your Personal Climate Action Plan
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Peer review
WEEK 7
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.
5 videos, 8 readings
- Video: Meet Sachi
- Leyendo: Introduction
- Video: Meet the expert - Dr. Raymond De Young
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Leyendo: Improving community engagement
- Leyendo: Optional resources: Climate-related films
- Leyendo: Run for office
- Leyendo: Optional resources
- Video: Meet the expert - State Representative Yousef Rabhi
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Activism through art
- Video: Meet the expert - Mayor Amanda Edmonds
- Cuadro de aviso de la discusión: Reflection survey
- Video: Dr. Michaela Zint concludes the course
- Leyendo: Acknowledgments
- Leyendo: Post-Course Survey
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Check your understanding
Graded: Assessment of overall actions
FAQs
How It Works
Trabajo del curso
Cada curso es como un libro de texto interactivo, con videos pregrabados, cuestionarios y proyectos.
Ayuda de tus compañeros
Conéctate con miles de estudiantes y debate ideas y materiales del curso, y obtén ayuda para dominar los conceptos.
Certificados
Obtén reconocimiento oficial por tu trabajo y comparte tu éxito con amigos, compañeros y empleadores.
Creators
University of Michigan
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.
Ratings and Reviews
It should be compulsory for every individual.
Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses online.
© 2017 Coursera Inc. All rights reserved.
PS
Thanks to all for this fantastic course on Climate Change and for showing us how we can make our contribution.