AI and Environmental Sustainability

AI and Environmental Sustainability, offered by Lund University through Coursera, is a beginner-level online course designed to examine how artificial intelligence can shape, and be shaped by, environmental sustainability goals. The course explores the environmental, ethical, political, and social implications of AI, helping learners understand both its potential benefits and its wider costs. Drawing on perspectives from the social sciences and humanities, it provides an interdisciplinary foundation for evaluating AI-based environmental solutions in relation to societal well-being, justice, and responsible technology use.

Core Content

The curriculum is structured across four modules covering modern AI, the AI lifecycle, environmental justice, and governance. Learners examine how AI systems depend on data, computing infrastructure, energy, water, minerals, and hardware, as well as how their production and use contribute to emissions and electronic waste. The course also explores how these impacts are distributed across communities, how AI influences environmental politics and consumption, and what governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals can do to reduce environmental harm.

Key Skills

Participants will develop the ability to explain the foundations of modern AI, assess environmental impacts across its lifecycle, and interpret the justice and governance issues connected to AI systems. The course helps learners strengthen their understanding of responsible AI, AI literacy, environmental policy, sustainable technologies, resource management, climate mitigation, social justice, and digital transformation. It also encourages learners to identify practical actions that can reduce AI’s environmental footprint and support more responsible decision-making.

Target Learners

This course is designed for students, early-career professionals, and lifelong learners interested in the relationship between artificial intelligence and environmental sustainability. It is particularly relevant for individuals working or aspiring to work in environmental policy, sustainable development, technology governance, or related fields. Coursera classifies it as beginner level, making it suitable for learners seeking an accessible interdisciplinary introduction to AI’s environmental opportunities, limitations, and broader societal implications.

Learning Format

Hosted on Coursera, the course is delivered in a flexible online format with four modules and an estimated completion time of eight hours. The learning experience includes videos, readings, assignments, discussion prompts, and an interactive plugin, allowing learners to progress at their own pace while building practical understanding step by step. Coursera also notes that the course includes four assignments, is taught in English, was recently updated in June 2026, and provides all course features free of charge, although no certificate or credential is awarded.

Additional Benefits

The course offers practical value for learners who want to understand AI beyond its technical capabilities and examine its environmental and social consequences more critically. Its lifecycle, justice, and governance perspectives provide a broader foundation than courses focused only on AI applications. As a free Lund University course, it also offers an accessible way to build interdisciplinary knowledge at the intersection of responsible AI, environmental policy, sustainability, and social justice.

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