Free Online Course Provides Information on Preparing for the Impacts of Extreme Weather & Climate Change
WASHINGTON, April 2, 2015 â This week, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and national leader in lifelong environmental learning, launched a free online course devoted to helping the American public understand and prepare for the impacts of extreme weather and climate change. The online course, Extreme Weather 101, was created by NEEF with a grant from Udemy's Social Innovation program, which supports nonprofits pursuing positive social change by awarding course creation grants. The course is hosted on the Udemy online learning platform.
In 2014, the United States experienced eight weather and climate disasters with losses exceeding one billion dollars each, including drought in the West, five severe storm events, flooding in Michigan and the Northeast, and a winter storm that affected the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast. As some types of extreme weather increase in frequency and intensity in a changing climate, it is crucial that individuals and communities develop resilience by focusing on preparedness. Extreme Weather 101 is designed to equip Americans with the information they need to understand the links between climate change and extreme weather, anticipate the types of extreme weather events they may experience and prepare to protect life and property in the face of these events.
In the course, students learn "the basics" about extreme weather and climate change through videos, quizzes and toolkits with tips and links to preparedness resources. The course draws on the Third National Climate Assessment and other trusted federal agency and peer-reviewed sources to cover topics including how scientists know the climate is changing and how climate change impacts extreme weather, national and regional weather trends in the United States over various time scales, the health and environmental impacts of extreme weather and climate change, and weather preparedness.
“NEEF is thrilled to launch this course on extreme weather and climate change,” said NEEF's Senior Vice President for Programs, Carol Watson. “Americans are taking note of changing weather patterns, yet many are unprepared for the impacts. We want to connect the public with science-based information about extreme weather and climate change that will help them understand their extreme weather risk and connect with the right resources and tools to make sure they are prepared.”
On the release of the course, Meg Evans, Manager of Social Innovation at Udemy commented, “NEEF's course is a powerful example of an organization utilizing the Udemy Social Innovation program to extend their reach and educate people on important topics around the world. We fully support NEEF's work in lifelong environmental learning and are excited to see this project come to life.”
The Extreme Weather 101 course can be found at https://www.udemy.com/extreme-weather-101/.