March 23, 2015 – The World Bank Group has announced a new "massive open online course" on climate change launching April 20, 2015. The five-week course, "Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4C Warmer World Must be Avoided," is free to join and is built on the latest climate change data with region-specific modules on climate trends and impacts on key development sectors. This online course brings together renowned scientists and policymakers to provide a synthesis of the most revent evidence on climate change and presents an analysis of likely impacts and risks, with a focus on developing countries. In addition to covering already observed changes in the climate system and their impacts, the course offers projections from the 21st century and associated impacts on food and water security, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health. Join to discuss main policy changes needed to prevent warming, and assess climate risks to development across six geographic regions.
Explore forward-looking scenarios about your world: Can renewables help Africa overcome its energy poverty? How can countries in the Middle East adapt to water scarcity? What can we learn from climate action in Latin American cities? Is climate-smart agriculture an answer in South and South East Asia? Contribute and share your own solutions to the climate challenge. Get valuable insights from leading thinkers on climate change, such as Yolanda Kakabadse, President of the WWF and Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Director of the Potsdam Institute. Join the Google Hangout during the course and talk to climate scientists. Connect with like-minded learners during the facilitated discussions and meet up with them in your community. Gain a different perspective and build your final project around a specific geographic region.
This course is open to all with two tracks of study available for climate champions from the general public, as well as policy & leadership professionals. Modules include:
- Week 1: Observed Climate Changes and Impacts: Hundreds of Thousands of Years to Now
- Week 2: Possible 21st Century Climates
- Week 3: Life in a 4 Degree Warmer World
- Week 4: What Can We Do About it?
- Week 5: Regional Impacts on Development Prospects (region-specific module focusing on regional trends and impacts – including Asia)
Get full details and register at https://www.coursera.org/course/warmerworld.