Course content
Climate change and Biodiversity loss are the most pressing environmental challenges facing business and society globally. Businesses, governments, and civil society achieved a momentous commitment in 2015 with the Paris Agreement, where they agreed to bring to near zero the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted globally by 2050. The global effort to reduce carbon emissions requires immediate and unprecedented action to shift business, economic, and social activities away from fossil fuels and other sources of carbon emissions. Simultaneously, it's essential to build resilience against the damaging effects of climate change. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for all businesses and society.
There is an increasing need, and demand for, managers, innovators, and employees who understand the opportunities, risks and challenges of advancing climate action and can operate in multi-disciplinary teams. They need to be prepared to interact beyond their fields so they can bridge the gaps between science, technology, social and environmental justice and economics of business and societal climate interventions.
Climate action requires an understanding of the status of technological opportunities; challenges of societal transformations, the role of nature and non-technological approaches, and societal and individual willingness to accept these actions. Clear communication of risks and opportunities to business and the public or the political system is lacking; policy relevance may be unappreciated when exclusive focus is placed on the next technological innovations making the transition financially or socially unfeasible.
This course builds deep interdisciplinary knowledge and skills and seeks to strengthen students' capabilities to work toward filling these gaps. It is particularly suited to cultivate interaction between students with different skills and backgrounds. The aim is to provide a new generation of specialist professionals with the relevant skills to properly operate and communicate in multi-disciplinary teams that seek to tackle and find innovative solutions to take action in the task of climate mitigation, adaptation, resiliency and sustainability. The course includes lectures from faculty from partner universities, business actors, and active civil society participants. The class emphasizes group work, discussion, case presentations, and hands-on exercises.
In relation to Nordic Nine
The Fast-tracking Climate Mitigation and Resilience course supports the Nordic Nine capabilities by teaching analytical approaches to understand humanity’s challenges, climate change specifically, and how they may be resolved (NN3). The course provides the means to explain the technological, social justice and politico-economic structures that replicate prosperity and inequality over generations (NN7). The stress in the course on climate-vulnerable and climate-forcing assets also helps students examine how business and local communities create value from global connections (NN9).
See course description in course catalogue