Climate Academy

Target Audience:

Natural resource and conservation professionals who are tasked with understanding climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change impacts and using this knowledge while making decisions.

Summary and Objectives:

This 8-week online course is designed to cover the fundamentals of climate science, provide an overview of tools and resources for climate adaptation, and increase climate literacy and communication skills. The course is also designed to encourage networking among conservation professionals engaged in the management of fish, wildlife, habitat, and cultural resources and provides participants an opportunity to interact with experts as they address case studies across multiple habitat types. Pre-webinar assignments, class resources, and discussion forums will be accessed through Moodle, a distance learning platform. Participants will then develop a final product addressing climate change in their management of natural resources. Participants will spend an estimated 3 hours per week in lectures and discussions and completing reading assignments. Additional time for the final project will vary.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the scientific basis of climate change.
• Understand biological impacts of climate change.
• Understand the role of vulnerability assessments and select decision support tools.
• Identify principles and tools of adaptation planning and examples of adaptation action.
• Effectively communicate climate change impacts to coworkers, stakeholders, and management.
• Demonstrate how climate change integrates into their work.

Special Requirements:

No special software is required; however, a stable internet connection is recommended. The course was developed in partnership with staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center, The Wildlife Society, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the National Park Service, the Northeast Climate Science Center, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Competency Addressed:

Climate Science - Basic, Reasoning - Basic, Climate Change Mitigation - Basic, Climate Change Adaptation - Basic