10 Free Courses on Environment and Sustainability
Environmental consciousness and sustainability have become paramount in the world today. It pays to equip oneself with knowledge and skills to tackle increasing global challenges related to environment and sustainability. Education is our right, and educating ourselves must be our motto if we are to strive towards excellence. Learning from environment and sustainability related courses also prepares us for helping make a better planet – for ourselves and for future generations.
There’s a wealth of free online courses available to empower you with the understanding and tools necessary for contributing positively to the planet’s well-being. From climate change mitigation to waste and water management, these courses offer diverse insights and practical strategies. Whether you’re an environmental enthusiast, a professional seeking to enhance your expertise, or simply curious about sustainability, delve into these ten exceptional online courses to deepen your understanding and inspire meaningful action towards a greener, more sustainable future.
1. The Age of Sustainable Development
Columbia University, New York
Coursera is providing an eminent course on the age of sustainable development hosted by Columbia University. Sustainable development is a prominent concept in the twenty first century, The visionary approach of Sustainable Development Goals 2030 is a hope for the world. So, learning about sustainable development is essential as well as crucial, as it will bring a huge impact to the society, and will, of course, benefit us in various ways.
2. Sustainable Global Food Systems
EdX
With the world hitting 8.1 billion people, food scarcity is a major issue, there is an imbalance in the availability of food resources — in some parts of the world we see abundance of food, even we see food wasting in restaurants, and fast food etc. But sadly, in other parts of the world, people die of starvation and famine. Thus, it is important to have knowledge about our food resources, and to maintain a global food system which is sustainable in approach.
3. Effective solid waste management
Xpert Learning
Waste management is now a critical issue as we are witnessing mountains of waste landfills pile up in every corner, ultimately polluting land, air and water. There is evidence of toxic chemicals present in ground water leading to various conditions and severely affecting those who depend on it. Slum population residing near the landfills are worst affected. Therefore, it is crucial for us to learn about effective solid waste management and to bring forward sustainable solutions.
4. Integrated Water Resource Management for Climate Resilience
Cap-Net
Climate change intrinsically affects the water resources, which makes it an important factor to study while fighting climate change. With only 1% of fresh water, today our water resources are under threat, there is increasing water scarcity in every corner of the world, water bone disease are only rising due to inefficient water management. Considering the risk, it is time we take action for maintaining sustainable and clean water supply.
5. Unnecessary, avoidable & problematic Plastic products and polymers
UNEP and Open Universiteit
Masterclass on Unnecessary, Avoidable and Problematic Plastic Products and polymers is established within the framework of the Global Partnership on plastic pollution and marine litter. Plastic pollution in ocean is a grave problem, there are many evidence of sea birds consuming plastics mistaking it for food. Our human food chain is also under threat, when fish consume plastics and micro plastic it ultimately leads to human consumption of microplastic materials. 90% of single-use plastics cannot be recycled, so they end up either in landfills or oceans. Now it has become clear than ever before to avoid unnecessary use of plastic and polymer products.
6. Advanced Diploma in Wildlife Conservation
NPTEL
An advanced diploma in wildlife conservation is a jackpot for the animal lovers. Conserving wildlife is a keystone for environmental protection, we can take the example of Project Tiger in India, which has not only helped in tiger population but has protected the entire ecosystem. Despite of legal protection from the government and pressures from environmental organisations, wildlife is steadily decreasing in number, it is alarming to see increase in endangered species in the IUCN Red List. As every species plays an important role in our ecology, it is important to learn about their conservation.
7. Migration
The Open University
Migration is one of the characteristics of every living being, be it humans, animals, fish or birds. In the migration course offered by The Open University, there is lot to learn about our atmosphere, earth’s magnetic movement influencing migratory birds, and the specific migratory routes of the birds. it focuses on the migration of birds. Migration of birds plays an important role in our ecosystem, any change may be an indicator of global change. So, learning about bird migration will help gain insights about interconnected ecology.
8. Urban Gardening for Beginners
CourseFlix
Through Alison, CourseFlix is providing a course on urban gardening. Due to urbanisation, with more people migrating to cities, urban gardening is something we need to reinvent. The plants we grow in our balcony, backyard or terrace will make our city a greener place. It will help absorb carbon, reduce pollution and do a lot more. Thinking of the benefits we will perceive from gardening we must encourage one another to plant more. By consuming from our own kitchen garden, it also gives us a sense of satisfaction and no doubt it bears healthy and organic vegetables. So, urban gardening is a course where each one of us will benefit a lot and I believe that many of us are are already looking to join such a course.
9. Introduction to Air Quality Management
UN SDG: Learn
We all need clean air to breathe, but we have also polluted the environment considerably. Delhi is one of the worst city in the world when it comes to air pollution, its AQI (air quality index) reaches severe which is a big concern for patients with lung diseases like asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc. Thus it would be of great importance to learn about air quality management, which will also benefit the society as a whole. After all, each one of us deserves clean air to breath.
10. Environmental Management and Organizations
The Open University
It is essential to understand our natural environment, and to acknowledge the role played by various organisations. As a human we have a responsibility to maintain our natural resources, it is indispensable for us to learn about our environment, its functions and how to effectively manage our industry, companies and organizations. The Open University is teaching a free courses on various disciplines, environment is one such popular discipline that it offers, where the subject on Environment management and organizations is a crucial one, therefore, it is an opportunity for all of us to learn about this important subject.
