Overview

Google, IBM & Meta Certificates – 40% Off

One Coursera Plus subscription covers most Professional Certificates on Coursera.

This course examines how climate goals are translated into meaningful action through energy transitions, public policy, and collective movements. Students begin by exploring the just energy transition, examining how the shift away from fossil fuels involves not only technological innovation but also questions of employment, energy access, economic opportunity, and how the costs and benefits of transition are distributed. The course then turns to climate policy, exploring how governments respond to climate change through legislation, regulation, executive action, and market-based approaches, as well as how social movements can influence policy and advance climate justice. Finally, students examine the global climate justice movement as a diverse “movement of movements,” considering the organizations, communities, strategies, and visions shaping collective responses to climate change. Across these lectures, students learn that meaningful climate action requires more than reducing emissions; it requires transforming systems and institutions while considering who participates in change, who bears its costs, and who benefits from its outcomes.

Syllabus

Getting Started & Investing & Implementing the Just Energy Transition
- In this module, Professor Dan Kammen introduces the concept of a just energy and climate transition, highlighting the connections between climate action and social justice. You will explore how energy systems can be transformed to reduce carbon emissions while promoting equity, inclusion, and long-term sustainability. Drawing on global examples and interdisciplinary perspectives, the module examines how energy solutions can address both environmental and social challenges. By the end, you will understand why integrating justice into energy transitions is essential for creating effective and lasting climate solutions.
The Role of Policy in Addressing the Climate Crisis
- In this module, Professor Cha explores the key components of a just transition, focusing on the policy and regulatory tools used to address climate change. You will examine how climate policy is developed through legislative and regulatory processes and how social movements influence and shape these efforts. The module also introduces competing visions of climate policy, comparing approaches centered on emissions reductions with those grounded in climate justice. By the end, you will be able to analyze recent policy developments through a climate justice lens and better understand the role of collective action in advancing equitable climate solutions.
The Global Climate Justice Movement
- In this module, Professor John Foran explores the global climate justice movement as a response to interconnected systems of inequality, including capitalism, colonialism, racism, patriarchy, and climate change. You will examine how diverse movements—from frontline communities in the Global South to youth-led initiatives and policy efforts—are working toward more just and sustainable futures. The module traces the origins, strategies, and challenges of this “movement of movements,” highlighting approaches such as nonviolent resistance and alternative frameworks like degrowth and buen vivir. By the end, you will understand how collective action, along with values like hope, care, and imagination, shapes efforts to address climate change and advance climate justice.