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MOOC on The Sustainable Development Goals

23. February 2018

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University of Copenhagen

To meet the global challenges of the 21st century, all faculties at the University, including experts in law, economy, health, social, and natural science, are engaged in high quality sustainability research.

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A new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is presented by Professor Katherine Richardson, Leader of the Sustainability Science Centre at the University of Copenhagen. The course is free of charge and open for all.

Through interactive lessons with videos and quizzes, this three-week course explores the development of the global sustainability agenda. During the course, students will get a historical overview of how sustainability has been understood, as well as a thorough introduction to the SDGs – what they are, how progress can be measured, and how the SDGs are relevant for the management of the global systems supporting humanity. A central element of the course is an understanding of how humans impact the Earth at the planetary level.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The SDGs were launched by the UN in 2015. They represent an important international step in setting humanity on a trajectory towards sustainable development. While all of the SDGs are essential to sustainable development, SDG 13, Climate Action, is usually perceived as the most urgent in terms of the need for a swift implementation on a global scale. Therefore, particular focus is given to this SDG in relation to other SDG’s in terms of the global food system and the importance of biodiversity and societal resilience. The global economic system will also be evaluated in the light of increasing inequality and our patterns of production and consumption. The course will further exemplify how various societal actors are responding to and implementing the SDGs. During the course, Katherine Richardson interviews many prominent scientists and figures within the Sustainability field, including MEP and former Foreign Minister Mogens Lykketoft, who was chairing the United Nations General Assembly, when the SDG’s were adopted.

This course adopts a transdisciplinary approach to the SDGs and is intended for anyone with an interest in sustainability, climate change, political action and solutions.

Direct link to MOOC

Attributions
The course is designed and taught by Professor Katherine Richardson, who is a member of the 15-person panel appointed by the UN General Secretary in 2016 to write the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report.