In an exciting new initiative, I-CHANGE is launching a free Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on October 24, 2024. Our course, called From Awareness to Action: Citizen-Led Climate Initiatives is aimed at empowering individuals to take climate action through concise and practical lessons.
Designed for participants of all backgrounds, the course invites citizens to explore the basics of pressing environmental issues such as air pollution, flooding and heatwaves, and to learn how citizens around the world are collecting data and acting for climate change. Learners will also be encouraged to engage with the citizen science tools used in I-CHANGE, contribute to environmental data collection, and become active agents of change.
The course, which will be open for registrations from Thursday 24 October, is free, open access, and you can enrol any time after the launching date and do it at your own pace. In addition to getting the basics on citizen science and environmental issues such as heatwaves, air pollution and flooding, you will also find relevant recommendations for combating these problems on a day-to-day basis through behavioural change, developed by dedicated experts across Europe.
What to expect?
- Learn the basics of citizen science and how it addresses environmental challenges.
- Deep dive into pressing climate change issues such as flooding, heatwaves, and air pollution, including their causes, impacts, and mitigation strategies.
- Get clear and practical recommendations on what changes in everyday life you can implement to contribute to climate action.
- Learn about hands-on innovative tools that citizens are currently using to engage in tracking climate variables and explore real-life case studies.
- No prior experience needed—accessible for all backgrounds
- A short and concise course, with an appropriate balance between text and videos, in which you will surely learn something new.
- A certificate of completion.
Why It Matters?
As the world faces unprecedented environmental challenges, promoting dialogue between scientists and communities and involving citizens in scientific research is more critical than ever. This course aims to inspire participants to take ownership of their role in tackling climate issues, from local action to contributing to worldwide open data sets that help scientists better understand environmental changes and trends.
“Citizen science is not just about data collection; it’s about understanding what the data means and empowering individuals to make positive changes in their communities“, says Anna Molter, Assistant Professor on Environmental Modelling a University College Dublin, who led the development of this online course.
From Awareness to Action: Citizen-Led Climate Initiatives underlines the importance of co-created knowledge in addressing the complex issues surrounding climate change. In our course, we hope to convey the message that you don’t need to be an expert to take action, and that you can start with small actions in your everyday life – home, work, shopping – that can lead to larger community and political initiatives.
The course is free and open to participants worldwide!
About I-CHANGE
I-CHANGE – Individual Change of HAbits Needed for Green European transition – is a European Horizon 2020 project which runs for 3,5 years (Start date: 1 November 2021). The project aims to face the challenge of engaging and promoting the active participation of citizens for addressing climate change, sustainable development and environmental protection in the framework of the European Green Deal, the European Climate Pact and the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The activities of I-CHANGE are strongly rooted in real society through interaction, co-development and cooperation with eight interactive Living Labs across Europe (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bologna, Dublin, Genoa, and Hasselt), Israel and Burkina Faso.
To learn more about I-CHANGE, visit the website
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101037193.
