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In this free online course, you’ll meet climate change experts who’ll discuss why our environment is changing, how global warming is affecting our world, and what we can do to slow it down.

Self-paced since May 17, 2018
Language: English
Subtitles (auto-generated): Deutsch, English, Français, Español

Course information

Course Summary

Climate change exists, and the signs of change are clearly evident. Extreme weather conditions around the globe are becoming increasingly frequent and Arctic ice is rapidly melting. The increase in temperature is felt by everyone throughout the world in their everyday lives.

The phenomena that accompany climate change will intensify, and have a drastic effect on our living conditions. Our climate is our future. The changes in our environment are disconcerting and raise a number of questions ...

  • Can we adapt to the impact of these climatic events?
  • How can we interpret these and similar observations?
  • To what causes can we attribute the changes?
  • What predictions can we possibly make?
  • What can I myself do?

Course Characteristics

  • Starting from: April 19, 2018, 09:00 UTC. (What does this mean?)
  • Duration: The course is open for 4 weeks
  • Effort: 3-4 hours in total
  • Course assignment: You can take the course assignment at any time while the course is open.
  • Course closure: May 17, 2018, 09:00 UTC
  • Course language: English
  • How is an openSAP course structured?

Course Structure

This nutshell course differs from other openSAP courses in that it features a short-track version of the Climate Course created by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) Germany in cooperation with DKK (Deutsches Klima-Konsortium/German Climate Consortium). A group of leading German scientists from renowned research institutions discusses the above-mentioned questions in this MOOC.

It will take only 3-4 hours to complete, and all the content will be available to you at the start of the course.

We know you have a hectic schedule, so we’ve grouped the short lectures into (thematic) sections that cover need-to-know information about climate change. The modules contain:

• Videos (approx. 5 minutes each) that cover the key topic
• Self-test questions to check your understanding of the videos
• Additional resources to continue building your knowledge

After you’ve worked through all the sections, you can do a course assignment and earn points towards a record of achievement (minimum score of 50% required).

You don’t need to complete the course in one sitting. Feel free to dip in whenever you have some time.

Target Audience

Anyone with a general interest in the topic and the desire to gain scientific knowledge and new insights

Course Requirements

You don't need any specific prior knowledge.

Who created this course?

The course was produced by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) Germany in cooperation with DKK (Deutsches Klima-Konsortium/German Climate Consortium), and funded by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

The original (full version) of the WWF / DKK climate course ‘Climate Change, Risks and Challenges’ is available on oncampus. The course is free of charge.

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Course contents

  • Welcome and Introduction

  • Section 1: Climate System and Climate Change

  • Section 2: Impacts of Climate Change

  • Section 3: Challenges of Climate Change

  • Course Assignment

  • I Like, I Wish:

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You can access all graded assignments and earn a Record of Achievement with openSAP, course reactivation option. Learn more or

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The course is free. Just register for an account on openSAP and take the course!
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Learners

Current
Today
6,555
Course End
May 17, 2018
3,844
Course Start
Apr 19, 2018
2,907

Rating

This course was rated with 4.44 stars in average from 624 votes.

Certificate Requirements

  • Gain a Record of Achievement by earning at least 50% of the maximum number of points from all graded assignments.
  • Gain a Confirmation of Participation by completing at least 50% of the course material.

Find out more in the certificate guidelines.

This course is offered by

Prof. Dr Mojib Latif

Prof. Dr Mojib Latif is head of the ‘Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics’ research division at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. He studied meteorology at Universität Hamburg. After obtaining his doctorate in oceanography, he was a private lecturer at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, before moving to Kiel in 2003. He is a co-author of the Third and Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC.

Website: www.geomar.de

Prof. Dr Anita Engels

Prof. Dr Anita Engels is professor for sociology at Universität Hamburg. She studied sociology at Bielefeld University and worked as a postdoc at Stanford University. Since 2009, she has been professor for sociology at Universität Hamburg, specializing in globalization, the environment and society. She is the spokeswoman for the Cluster of Excellence “Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction” (CliSAP) and also a member of the executive committee of the Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN) and of the Center for Globalization and Governance (CGG).

Website: www.wiso.uni-hamburg.de
Website: www.clisap.de

Dr Tobias Geiger

Dr Tobias Geiger is a postdoc at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Prior to that, he studied physics at the universities of Freiburg, Kazan and Minsk. His research focus is on the quantification and projection of the impact of meteorological extreme events (e.g. tropical cyclones, river floods, droughts) under climate change as well as the economic impacts of these events and their integration in integrated assessment models (IAMs).

Prof. Dr Hermann Held

Prof. Dr Hermann Held is professor for sustainability and global Change at Universität Hamburg. He is head of the research unit ‘Sustainability & Global Change (FNU)’ at the Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), and principal investigator at the ‘Cluster of Excellence Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction’ (CliSAP), both at Universität Hamburg. He studied physics at Kiel University, ETH Zurich, and Munich University and worked at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Garching, the University of California, Berkeley and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Prof. Dr Held also worked as lead author on the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC.

Website: www.uni-hamburg.de
Website: www.clisap.de

Prof. Dr Hermann Lotze-Campen

Prof. Dr Hermann Lotze-Campen is head of the ‘Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities’ research domain II at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). He studied agricultural sciences and economics at the universities of Kiel, Reading (UK), and Minnesota (USA). After obtaining his doctorate from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, he worked for the InfoTerra business development team at Astrium. He is also professor for sustainable land use and climate change at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Website: www.pik-potsdam.de

Prof. Dr Jochem Marotzke

Prof. Dr Jochem Marotzke is a director at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M), where he heads 'The Ocean in the Earth System' department, and professor at Universität Hamburg. He studied physics at the universities of Bonn, Copenhagen, and Kiel, and obtained his doctorate in physical oceanography in Kiel. He worked as coordinating lead author and lead author for the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC.

Website: www.mpimet.mpg.de

Dr Ute Merkel

Dr Ute Merkel works as a postdoc at MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen. She studied meteorology at Universität Hamburg and completed her doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Following this, she worked as a research fellow at the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Kiel and the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE) in France.

Website: www.marum.de

Prof. Dr Sonja Peterson

Prof. Dr Sonja Peterson is Scientific Director of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. She studied mathematical economics and economics at Universität Hamburg and the University of Colorado at Boulder and completed her PhD at Kiel University. Her current research topics include international and European environment and climate policy, bioenergy and land use, and environmental policy instruments. She is an expert on climate-economy modeling and computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling.

Website: www.ifw-kiel.de

Prof. Dr Beate Ratter

Prof. Dr Beate Ratter is professor for integrative geography at Universität Hamburg. She studied geography at the universities of Tübingen and Hamburg and taught as a visiting fellow at the university of Salzburg and San Andrés (Columbia). She is professor at Universität Hamburg and head of the department of ‘Human Dimensions of Coastal Areas’ at Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht. She is also a researcher at the ‘Cluster of Excellence Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction’ (CliSAP). Key aspects of her activity include human/nature interaction, coastal and resource management, spatial and regional planning, and development studies in the Caribbean, Latin America, Canada, and European coastal areas.

Website: www.geo.uni-hamburg.de
Website: www.clisap.de

Helena Humphrey

Helena Humphrey is a news anchor and reporter at Deutsche Welle, Germany's international broadcaster. She studied Modern Foreign Languages and Literature at the University of Nottingham and successfully completed courses at the BBC Academy on news writing, writing for the web, and video journalism. She has worked in different communications roles for the United Nations in Switzerland, West Africa, and the Philippines.