Act on Climate: Steps to Individual, Community, and Political Action

Act on Climate: Steps to Individual, Community, and Political Action, offered by the University of Michigan through Coursera, is a beginner-level online course designed to help learners move from concern about climate change to practical action. The course focuses on what individuals, communities, and political leaders can do across food, energy, transportation, and the built environment, while using insights from the social sciences to explain how change happens.

Core Content

The course is structured across seven modules covering climate science and policy, food, energy, transportation, the built environment, personal climate action planning, and continued engagement. Learners explore climate mitigation and adaptation, social movement theory, peer persuasion, community energy choices, transport behaviour, urban design, deliberative democracy, climate justice, and ways to sustain long-term action. The course culminates in the development of a personal climate action plan.

Key Skills

Participants will develop the ability to identify effective individual, community, and political climate actions, apply social science insights to behaviour and collective change, and evaluate practical ways to reduce emissions and strengthen resilience. Coursera also highlights skills in social impact, sustainable design, engagement, climate change programmes, mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable development.

Target Learners

This course is designed for students, professionals, community members, and general learners who want to take practical action on climate change. It is particularly relevant for those interested in community engagement, climate policy, sustainability, behaviour change, or local climate initiatives. Coursera classifies the course as beginner level and states that no prior experience is required.

Learning Format

Hosted on Coursera, the course is delivered in a flexible online format with seven modules and an estimated completion time of two weeks at around ten hours per week. The learning experience includes videos, readings, assignments, case studies, discussion prompts, action-based exercises, and a peer-reviewed Personal Climate Action Plan. Coursera also notes that the course includes 22 assignments, offers a shareable certificate, is taught in English with 21 language options available, and allows learners to progress at their own pace.

Additional Benefits

The course was co-developed and taught by Michaela Zint, Professor of Environmental Education and Communication at the University of Michigan, together with University of Michigan students, and includes contributions from academic and professional climate experts. Its strong action-oriented structure helps learners test climate solutions in their own lives and communities while building confidence to influence wider political and social change.

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