About this course: In 2015, the UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopted by 193 member states, the goals represent an important international step in setting humanity on a trajectory towards sustainable development. Within this course, you will get a historical overview of how sustainability has been understood, as well as a thorough introduction to the SDGs – what they are, how progress can be measured, and how the SDGs are relevant for the management of the global systems supporting humanity. The course will examine how various societal actors are responding to and implementing the SDGs. While all of the SDGs are essential to sustainable development, SDG 13, Climate Action, is usually perceived as the most urgent in terms of the need for a swift implementation on a global scale. Therefore, particular focus is given to this SDG. Through the course, you will gain up-to-date knowledge of the current understanding of human impacts on the Earth at the planetary level. Progress towards establishing global management of human interactions with the climate system within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is also discussed. The course is designed and taught by Professor Katherine Richardson, who is a member of the 15-person panel appointed by the UN General Secretary in 2016 to write the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report. In each lecture, Katherine interviews experts who provide insights relevant to the topic at hand.
Who is this class for: Sustainability considerations are relevant within all fields of study. This course, therefore, assumes no prior knowledge and can supplement curricula in any discipline. This course adopts a transdisciplinary approach to the SDGs and is intended for anyone with an interest in sustainability, climate change, political action and solutions. Thus, the course is relevant for all students, regardless of their background.
Taught by: Katherine Richardson, Professor
Sustainability Science Centre
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 3 weeks of study, 2-4 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
- Reading: The sustainable development goals
- Video: How do we measure progress?
- Video: SDG Interactions – One for All and All for One!
- Reading: A Guide to SDG Interactions, ICSU, 2017
- Discussion Prompt: What’s your take on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
- Reading: Additional material: The Brundtland Report, 1987
- Video: Planetary boundaries and biodiversity
- Reading: Agriculture production as a major driver of the Earth system exceeding planetary boundaries
- Discussion Prompt: Agriculture and planetary boundaries
- Video: Resilience
- Reading: Resilience and disaster risk reduction: an etymological journey
- Reading: World Food Programme: Hunger and Climate Change
- Video: Inequality
- Reading: Kate Raworth: Doughnut Economics
- Discussion Prompt: Can we live within the doughnut?
- Video: The way forward
- Reading: Additional material: Sustainability lecture with Kate Raworth
- Reading: Additional material: Income Inequality and Health: A Causal Review
- Discussion Prompt: Help us improve the course
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Fantastic course and very well put together, especially enjoyed the interviews - 5 stars!
bringing in different experts was refreshing and insightful, I however will need to read up more on SDGs and resilience
Quite explanatory and the pace is wonderful, just wondering if it will be okay to add more images and paint real life situations to buttress the points made therein
MV
Very informative and complete