Climate change progress and taking meaningful action requires knowledge, collaboration, and bold leadership.
Whether you're looking to build foundational planning skills, engage with complex policy frameworks, or contribute to systems-level change, our climate action programs offer practical, forward-thinking learning environments.
Designed for leaders and professionals across sectors, these courses and micro-certificates support your journey in making a lasting impact through climate action at local, regional and global levels.
Climate Action courses an programs
Some courses can be applied towards programs such as the Certificate in Transformative Climate Action (TCA)—where strategic climate leaders can turn climate confusion, complexities and challenges into clear and actionable plans. The TCA is a longer, credit program so if you're interested in taking two or three micro-credentials, you may want to consider the TCA. This program is comprehensive and covers all, or most of, the content that you’ll find in our other micro-certificate programs.
The Climate Action Planning micro-certificate is designed for consensus-building leaders interested in developing the foundational skills of planning for climate action, and turning their climate knowledge into effective community action.
For climate activists and change agents who want to focus on issues such as Indigenous allyship, systems transformation, collaborative governance and more, the Climate Activism micro-certificate is a great opportunity to build practices for movement-building and organizing transformational change.
Explore and dive deeper into the policies and political aspects that shape climate action in the Politics, Policy and Climate Action micro-certificate. Participants will gain skills and strategies to navigate governance systems to create equitable, effective solutions.
What are the key differences of our Climate Action programs?
| Programs: | Climate Activism | Politics, Policy & Climate Action |
Climate Action Planning | Transformative Climate Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
In a nutshell |
Prepares change agents who work to change existing systems through movement-building |
Develops professionals to work in or with governments to advance effective climate action |
Builds consensus leaders who navigate social and political challenges and resistance to drive resilient change |
Creates strategic integrators able to design and support effective climate action across multiple sectors and knowledge systems |
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Our approach
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What we emphasize |
Movement-building and grassroots organizing |
Institution-navigation and policy development |
Leadership development and consensus-building |
Cross-sector integration and strategic implementation |
|
What you will study |
Root causes and power relations driving climate change; strategies for transforming these relations |
Policy options and governance structures across jurisdictional scales |
Human dimensions of climate change with multi-contextual integration |
Integration of scientific, technical, legal, economic, and political contexts |
|
How we see climate change |
Climate change as systemic injustice requiring transformation of power structures |
Climate change as governance challenge requiring effective policy instruments |
Climate change as human challenge requiring leadership to overcome resistance |
Climate change as complex system requiring integrated strategic responses |
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Your learning experience
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What we aim to achieve |
Transformative social change through mobilized communities |
Effective climate solutions through improved governance |
Resilient change through consensus-building and leadership |
Strategic climate action plans across institutions and scales |
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How we create change |
Campaign strategies, movement tactics and community organizing |
Policy design, regulatory mechanisms and political strategy |
Leadership strategies for navigating denial, despair and resistance |
Implementation plans integrating scientific and technical with socio-political contexts |
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Your takeaways
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How you will use what you’ll learn |
Bridge academic and practical worlds for community resilience through independent research |
Inform political strategy and policy design by understanding jurisdictional differences |
Develop effective strategies through human dimensions and multi-contextual integration |
Critically assess existing and emergent climate action strategies across scales |
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Best suited for |
Emerging professionals, students, activists, and community members seeking transformative change through social justice approaches |
Mid-career professionals in government, nonprofits, sustainability roles bridging science with actionable policy |
Leaders and facilitators focused on building consensus and overcoming climate action barriers |
Strategic planners and implementers working across sectors to develop comprehensive climate action plans |
What are the key differences of our Climate Action programs?
In a nutshell
What we emphasize
What you will study
How we see climate change
What we aim to achieve
How we create change
How you will use what you’ll learn
Best suited for
Program details at a glance
| Climate Activism | Politics, Policy & Climate Action |
Climate Action Planning |
Transformative Climate Action |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Credential |
Micro-certificate | Micro-certificate | Micro-certificate | Certificate |
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Credit/Non-credit |
Non-credit | Non-credit | Credit | Non-credit |
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Core courses |
2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
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Elective courses |
1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
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Online courses |
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5–day intensive courses |
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Program fees* |
$1944.41 | $1944.41 | $1944.41 | $4590.36 |
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Program length |
8–12 months | 4–12 months | 8–12 months | 1–2 years |
|
Entrance requirements |
Offered at the third and fourth year undergraduate level | |||
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More details |
View Program | View Program | View Program | View Program |
*Fees listed are estimated based on current rates
- Adaptation Planning and the Built Environment
- Allyship, Solidarity and Transforming Relations
- Future Ecosystems and Communities
- Introduction to the Human Dimensions of Climate Change
- Organizing for Transformative Change
- Politics, Policies and Planning for Climate Action
- Special Topics: Psychology of Transformative Climate Action
- Transformative Change
- Water Futures: Collaborative Responses to Climate Impacts
Climate Action Planning
The Climate Action Planning micro-credential (CAP) is a great opportunity to learn the foundations of planning for climate action. You will develop the skills needed for you as a professional to put into action at all government levels.
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Climate Activism
The Climate Activism program provides climate activists with the skills and knowledge to build practices for organizing transformational change.
View program
Politics, Policy and Climate Action
The Politics, Policy and Climate Action micro-certificate will provide insight into the policy and political contexts that shape climate action across scales from local to global, including relevant institutional and governance innovations.
View program
Transformative Climate Action
The need for transformative climate action is urgent. An effective and practical response requires significant changes to how we live. The Transformative Climate Action Certificate (TCA) provides the tools needed to make social, cultural and political changes that support diverse, ethical and flourishing communities.
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Patricia Dijak, a graduate of the Climate Action Planning program—in partnership with the School of Environmental Studies—used her passion for tackling the climate crisis to connect global strategies with local solutions, focusing on collective action and nature-based initiatives. Through flexible coursework and supportive mentorship, she gained skills to influence policies, foster community collaboration, and promote sustainable urban planning to address climate challenges effectively.
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Permaculture offers a mindset shift that encourages us to view our relationship with the environment as a partnership rather than a dominance. By aligning our daily practices with the wisdom of nature, we can create sustainable, regenerative systems that provide for our needs while respecting the intricate balance of the natural world. Embracing permaculture means taking a step toward a brighter and more sustainable future.
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Since the fall of 2023, Dr. Kara Shaw has led the development of two programs with Continuing Studies at UVic. The newest of the two is the Climate Action Planning program—a micro-certificate that blends policy, social justice and science so learners become empowered to implement effective and collaborative action across various communities.
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