April 1 - May 26, 2019
Climate change is one of the greatest social justice issues of our time, because its devastating effects hurt people of color, indigenous people, and the poor first - all those who have contributed the least to global warming. Climate change is also a justice issue regarding youth and future generations, because human actions now and in the next 12 years will determine how warm the Earth will get, which will set the trajectory for the climate for centuries to come. With only 1°C warming so far, we have already experienced more devastating storms, heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods, and sea-level rise and each degree of additional warming multiplies the intensity of these effects by an amount that will soon make many parts of the world unlivable. Facing the need for urgent climate action challenges us to rethink the purpose of our life and to grow spiritually.
This online course on climate change provides a basic understanding of the causes and impacts of climate change, discusses its ethical challenges, and relates them to the spiritual teachings of the world’s religions, particularly those of the Baha’i Faith. Participants will discuss possible actions at the individual, community, and institutional levels while connecting with deeper spiritual principles. The spiritual content of the course offers hope, confidence, and meaning during these difficult times as well as motivation for resolute action.
Course materials contain numerous resources for those who want to go more deeply into specific issues. Activities include readings, videos, and interaction with others in an international classroom setting. This is not a massive online course. Everyone has a personal mentor assigned, and all active participants get to know each other. People of all and no religious backgrounds are welcome to participate.
Faculty are Christine Muller, Rhode Island (USA), Arthur Lyon Dahl, PhD, Geneva (Switzerland), and Laurent Mesbah, PhD, Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina)