Awareness of the consequences of global
warming is gradually showing up in university curricula everywhere, mainly in
environmental and physical science programs. This won’t be enough. Climate
change courses should be made mandatory for every student, in every discipline.
Climate change impacts us all, and we need everyone’s skills to address it, from
art to business to health.
This is especially important in northern
areas, where average temperatures are increasing even more rapidly than in temperate
regions. I attended university in the city illustrated above, about sixty years
ago. We hadn’t heard about global
warming at the time and if we had would have considered it a fine idea, unaware
of the associated threats to health, extreme weather events, wildfires and
flooding, forced displacement, pressures on mental health, and increased hunger
and poor nutrition in places where people cannot grow or find sufficient food.
Some universities are even developing degree
programs related to climate change.
Examples are the Institute
for Climate and Sustainable Growth at the University
of Chicago, which will offer
undergraduate and graduate degrees with a focus on climate systems engineering,
and Columbia University, where a dual
degree in urban design and climate has been added.*
*excerpted from Carbon Almanac Network dailydifference@thecarbonalmanac.org 1 November 2024
