Nature offers many solutions for reducing the impacts from disasters and climate impacts. This may include protecting forests on steep slopes, maintaining sand dunes along coastlines, wetlands to buffer excess rainwater. These so-called ‘Nature- based solutions’ (NbS) are an important piece in the puzzle to building the resilience of households and communities to an ever-increasing number of disaster events around the world. For years, experience and evidence on NbS from around the world has been growing. But many people – from policy makers, through to engineers and businesses – don't yet know how NbS can help them solve the challenges they’re facing from events like floods, heatwaves, or droughts. These events affect the lives of millions of people every year. So, what are ‘Nature-based solutions’, or NbS? How can they help build resilience to disasters and climate change impacts? Why is NbS relevant? How can I apply NbS in my work and everyday life? In this online course, UNEP and environmental experts from around the world will provide you with answers to those questions, reaching out to you and me, to planners, policy makers, engineers, businesses, and youth. This is an opportunity for you to join a community of learners and environmental advocates. First touching upon the “why”, the course provides an introduction to nature-based solutions for disaster and climate resilience, the benefits and potential opportunities. Then, specific modules aimed at different target audiences will focus on the practical application of nature-based solutions, the “how”. Who is the course aimed at? Nature-based solutions are relevant to everyone, and we all benefit from seeing them applied. With this in mind, the course is designed to be accessible to everyone, no matter your background.

This course will cover topics related to breeding, growing, and processing cannabis. Cultivation conditions, plant needs like lighting, care schedules, drying, and curing will be discussed. Learners will survey the basics of cannabis extraction, refinement, purification, and other post-harvesting techniques.

Effective science communicators are in short supply during a time of unprecedented environmental challenges. As policy-makers, businesses, and communities seek solutions, the need for science communication skills will only grow. In this course, you will not only learn how to identify the tools of science communication, but will be able critique, refine, and develop them. Any leader understands that data is the underpinning of competent decision-making. Complex systems require that data be presented in a clear and accessible format. You will learn to construct easy-to-interpret data visualizations that will enable you to build consensus and facilitate decisions across a broad spectrum of stakeholders. Data tells us a story. Articulating and messaging this data-driven narrative to communicate the latest research is a key skill for any manager. You will learn to use proven techniques to develop such narratives so that you can effectively communicate complex data-sets to any audience. Cogent science communication requires the effective integration of a captivating and accessible narrative with appealing multimedia data visualizations. These two new skills are the foundation for telling a larger story. Compelling “stories” are a proven approach to explain complex problems, involve the target audience, and motivate diverse stakeholders to work toward change.

How can we strengthen sustainability? By empowering individuals and communities to transform and balance dynamic natural resources, economic prosperity, and healthy populations. In this course, you’ll explore productive and disruptive social, ecological, and economic intersections – the “triple bottom line.” You’ll investigate a spectrum of global, national, regional, municipal and personal relationships that are increasing resiliency. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to effectively locate your interests, and to leverage optimistic change within emerging 21st century urban environments. This course will describe fundamental paradigm shifts that are shaping sustainability. These include connectivity, diversity, citizen engagement, collaboration source tracing, mapping, transportation, and integrative, regenerative design. We will take examples from cities around the globe; making particular use of the complex evolution of site-specific conditions within the Connecticut River watershed. In addition we will present tools and strategies that can be utilized by individuals, communities, and corporations to orchestrate effective and collective change. Each week, lessons will highlight the significance of clean water as a key indication of ecosystem, community and human health. Learners will be asked to investigate and share information about their local environment. Finally, we will note the impact of such disruptive forces as industrial pollution, changing governance, privatization of public services, mining of natural resources, public awareness, and climate change. A fundamental course goal will be to characterize indicators of economic prosperity and happiness that relate to environmental sustainability – and the capacity of individuals to create change.

This course introduces the basics of climate science and communication strategies to help empower educators, volunteers and individuals to talk about climate change as a means to inspire action. This course is part of a climate communication training program for volunteers at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History ( NMNH ) that integrates content and strategies from NMNH, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ), the National Network for Climate Change Interpretation ( NNOCCI ), Visualizing Change, and the Alliance for Climate Education ( ACE ). This self-paced course is divided into four lessons: Why we should communicate about climate change Climate science - Earth’s past climate, today’s drivers, climate change impacts and solutions How people perceive climate change Facilitation strategies Each lesson takes approximately 20 minutes to 1 hour to complete and contains a short non-graded quiz. The first lesson introduces the need for climate change conversations in learning venue settings. The second lesson covers climate science concepts through an introduction to Earth’s past climate history, drivers of climate change, and examples of impacts and solutions. The lesson also features examples of Smithsonian climate work. The third lesson dives into the current research around public perceptions and beliefs of climate change, and how this perception has changed over time in the United States. The last lesson introduces several strategies for meaningful conversation about climate change.

Did you know that experts estimate an additional three billion people will live in cities by 2050? What will the impact be on the current world population – half of which currently lives in cities and contributes to about three-fourths of global economic output? The opportunities are vast –but so, too, are the potential issues. In Sustainable Cities , you will learn about the major challenges currently faced by urban areas around the world – including poverty, unemployment, poor housing infrastructure, and constraints on productivity – and the extraordinary potential of these areas to enable change in the future. From infrastructure to culture to economic opportunity, learn how harnessing the power of urban development for global progress is imperative. This course examines how urban sustainability can be delivered with increasing productivity and reduced inequality; provision of universal basic services and infrastructure; protection of the urban environments; and other solutions and investments, both speculative and in action around the world. You will emerge from this course understanding how governments, private stakeholders and other actors can improve urban development to heed the call of Sustainable Development Goal 11 – “making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable“ by 2030. This course has been developed through a partnership between the SDG Academy and the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) , which is working to transform the current nature of urban education and practice in India. This course is for: Anyone interested in the concept of sustainable cities – including those interested in the development of their own local community – who wants to understand the foundations of modern urban development Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students in architecture, real estate development, sustainable development, sustainable business, international development, public policy, and other related fields Sustainable development practitioners interested in the elements of sustainability that impact urban areas worldwide Private-sector actors , such as those who work in real estate development, technology, telecommunications, transportation, or energy – whose work can contribute to and redefine urban areas

How can ecosystems contribute to quality of life and a more livable, healthier and more resilient urban environment? Have you ever considered all the different benefits the ecosystem could potentially deliver to you and your surroundings? Unsustainable urbanization has resulted in the loss of biodiversity, the destruction of habitats and has therefore limited the ability of ecosystems to deliver the advantages they could confer. This course establishes the priorities and highlights the direct values of including principles based on natural processes in urban planning and design. Take a sewage system or a public space for example. By integrating nature-based solutions they can deliver the exact same performance while also being beneficial for the environment, society and economy. Increased connectivity between existing, modified and new ecosystems and restoring and rehabilitating them within cities through nature-based solutions provides greater resilience and the capacity to adapt more swiftly to cope with the effects of climate change and other global shifts. This course will teach you about the design, construction, implementation and monitoring of nature-based solutions for urban ecosystems and the ecological coherence of sustainable cities. Constructing smart cities and metropolitan regions with nature-based ecosystems will secure a fair distribution of benefits from the renewed urban ecology. Instructors, with advanced expertise in Urban Ecology, Environmental Engineering, Urban Planning and Design, will equip designers and planners with the skills they need for the sustainable management of the built environment. The course will also benefit stakeholders from both private and public sectors who want to explore the multiple benefits of restored ecosystems in cities and metropolitan regions. They will gain the knowledge and skills required to make better informed and integrated decisions on city development and urban regeneration schemes. This course forms a part of the educational programme of the AMS Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions and will present the state-of-the-art theories and methods developed by the Delft University of Technology and Wageningen University & Research, two of the founding universities of the AMS Institute.

Examine our reliance on the Earth’s resources –and vice versa – and you will discover a stunning tapestry of complex interactions between ecosystems and human life. From preventing the extinction of species (from plants to animals) to mitigating the effects of long-term environmental shifts, how do we ensure that our interaction with the world around us doesn’t leave it destroyed? In this course, you’ll learn the science behind the capacities of various ecosystems including extinction rates, desertification and how their physical makeup has evolved with environmental shifts. You’ll experience the lives of local populations dependent upon these resources, from their economic activities to their societal norms. After taking this course, you will be equipped with an understanding of diverse ecosystems and how responsible use of these resources is imperative to our planet’s survival. This course is for: Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students studying ecosystem management, forestry, sustainable development, economics, sustainable business and related fields Practitioners in forestry, ecosystem management, conservation and related fields who are interested in current science and research around use and preservation Sustainable development practitioners – as well as private-sector actors, such as those who work in corporate sustainability and responsibility, land development or tourism – who need to understand responsible consumption and interaction with our ecosystems

While any major sport event can pose great opportunities for the host city or region, there are also challenges associated with hosting these events. The environmental impact on the country's natural resources, the workforce, and infrastructure are just some of the considerations. It is essential to ensure that your major sport event is sustainable for your city throughout the event, but also after the event has been completed. So, what does a sustainable major sport event look like? Thiscourse will introduce you to the concept of a sustainable major sport event by using the five pillars of sustainability as the foundation. These five pillars; human, social, economic, governance and environmental, are explored in this course with a focus on the core principles of each pillar and how these need to be considered in this context. Real-world examples are presented to further highlight the importance of these factors when planning and hosting a major sport event.

This course covers the flow of water as it falls to the earth and travels towards rivers, lakes and oceans. This includes the basic concepts and definition of a watershed, including how to delineate watershed boundaries. Water budgets and water fluxes will also be introduced, along with the different components of the hydrologic cycle. Finally, Geographic Information Systems will be used to develop a basic model of a watershed in Eastern Ontario, Canada.