Doing Economics: Measuring Climate Change

Doing Economics: Measuring Climate Change, offered by the University of London and University College London through Coursera, is an online beginner-level course designed to build practical skills in working with real-world climate data. It gives learners hands-on experience in Excel while introducing important policy issues linked to climate change. Each week, participants learn specific data handling techniques and apply them to climate datasets, supported by readings that explain the context behind the data. The course is designed for accessibility and provides a structured introduction to using evidence to understand climate change and government responses.

Core Content

The curriculum is structured across four modules that combine Excel-based data analysis with climate change and policy learning. It covers how data can be used to assess the extent of climate change, including long-term temperature change, extreme weather, temperature variability, and the relationship between CO2 emissions and global temperatures. The course also introduces concepts such as summary statistics, correlation, causation, and policy evaluation. Supported by readings, assignments, and discussion prompts, the content helps learners connect technical data work with real policy questions.

Key Skills

Participants will develop the ability to work with real-world climate data and apply Excel techniques to analyze environmental trends. The course equips learners with skills to produce bar charts, line charts, and scatterplots; calculate and interpret summary statistics such as mean, median, variance, percentile, and correlation; and use evidence to assess the extent of climate change. It also helps participants understand the challenges involved in designing and implementing policies that address climate change.

Target Learners

This course is designed for students, early-career professionals, and learners interested in climate change, public policy, and data analysis. It is particularly relevant for those who want practical experience with real-world datasets but do not necessarily come from a technical background. Coursera describes it as beginner level and notes that no prior knowledge of economics or statistics is required, while only basic familiarity with Excel’s interface is expected. This makes it a suitable starting point for a broad audience.

Learning Format

Hosted on Coursera, the course is delivered in a flexible online format with four modules and an estimated completion time of two weeks at around ten hours per week. The learning experience includes readings, assignments, discussion prompts, and Excel-based exercises that build skills progressively across the course. Coursera also notes that the course includes five assignments, is taught in English with multiple language options, and offers a shareable certificate.

Additional Benefits

The course offers practical value for learners who want to build confidence in using data to understand climate change. Combining Excel-based analysis with climate policy issues helps participants develop skills that are useful across sustainability, research, and policy-oriented work. Its applied use of real datasets makes the learning directly relevant, while the shareable certificate adds professional value for those seeking to demonstrate foundational capability in climate data analysis.

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