Climate Change Strategy for Leaders: Readiness, Resilience and Impact

This engaging six-week course unpacks the complexities of climate change, starting with the foundations of climate science and disinformation strategies. You’ll explore key terms, concepts and the multifaceted scale of the climate crisis, including its interactions with energy, transportation and food systems. You’ll delve into policy landscapes, economic impacts and the role of innovation in climate action. Finally, you will review emerging challenges and emerging environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices and standards – enabling you to interpret new developments and apply insights to your organisation or professional context.

• Module 1: Climate change diagnosis
• Module 2: Concepts and context
• Module 3: Systems transition
• Module 4: Energy transition
• Module 5: Governance of climate change
• Module 6: Emerging issues

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• navigate a vast flow of information and identify only the main and most reliable sources, avoiding the main forms of disinformation
• connect abstract and highly technical scientific knowledge from a range of disciplines to everyday manifestations of climate change
• use acquired knowledge and understanding of interconnections in new contexts
• articulate complex concepts from a range of disciplines to a wider audience
• analyse relevant issues, placing them in their proper scale and assessing their interconnections with other issues at different scales
• exercise judgement with respect to different claims about climate change scenarios, decarbonisation pathways, emerging issues and their implications
• develop a position or strategy for your organisation informed by the knowledge and skills acquired through the course.

On successful completion of the course, you’ll receive a certificate from the University of Cambridge, along with valuable Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points and a digital badge to display on your LinkedIn profile. These Cambridge credentials not only showcase your knowledge and expertise but also demonstrate your commitment to professional development – helping future-proof your career.

This course is designed for professionals across different sectors who are seeking to gain a comprehensive understanding of climate change and its broader implications.

• Senior professionals, who have deep knowledge of some specific aspects but need to ‘zoom out’ and capture the overall picture.
• Consultants working in management, environmental, or ESG industries (for example, senior associates).
• Staff from intergovernmental and nongovernmental organisations in need of an up-to-date, scientifically informed overview of the subject.
• Professionals in the financial services industry interested in gaining an understanding of the implications of climate change for finance.
• A wide range of government officials active in specific segments of the policy cycle.
• Politicians and their staff, who may need a solid and self-contained understanding of the issue for a variety of policy and political purposes.
• Mid-career professionals who need this broader understanding for career progression (to management or strategic positions) or career re-orientation.

Our flexible, online courses – delivered via a world-leading learning platform – reflect the University of Cambridge experience and values, with low learner-to-tutor ratios and academically rigorous standards.

Our online learning model is designed to help you advance your skills and specialise in emerging areas that address real-world challenges. We will help you build your network through an engaging and impactful learning journey that encourages collaboration with academics and fellow learners.

Courses are delivered in weekly modules, allowing you to plan your time effectively around existing commitments. There is an optional weekly live session, which is recorded for anyone who can’t attend. The assessment criteria will be presented to you at the start of the course, so you can approach your studies with confidence and motivation, knowing exactly what’s expected of you and how to meet those expectations.

Throughout your online learning experience with Cambridge Advance Online, you’ll have digital access to a dedicated course tutor, an expert in the field, who will help steer your learning and provide you with support and guidance every step of the way.

Level of knowledge

• Designed for any professional who needs, or is simply interested in, acquiring a structured 360-degree view of the climate change challenge.
• A level of spoken and written English sufficient to allow you to participate and succeed in the course (we recommend that you have an English Language level equivalent to an IELTS score of 7, as outlined in section 5 of our Terms of Purchase).

Materials and equipment

• Sufficient internet speed and stability for video streaming (2 Mbps up/down).
• Please see our recommendations on web browsers (opens in a new tab).
• No specialist software or equipment needed.

Access to Virtual Learning Environment
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You can ask for support from your employer to fund this learning as part of your professional development.

Our Employer Funding guide has practical tips and templates to help you feel more confident asking for funding.

If your employer is funding your course or programme, we have several payment options available, including bank transfer (BACs), credit or debit card, and PayPal.

You can request a quote or an invoice for your organisation via our online course booking form, which will include a payment date and next steps for completing your payment.