Climalt is a free online course on climate change for young people aged 18 to 30, proposed by five organisations and co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. Applications to take part in the course are open until 7 November.

What is Climalt

The Climalt course offers training specifically designed for young people, focused on the causes, impacts and possible solutions to the climate crisis. The training aims to give young people an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of causes and effects, to identify the actors involved in the fight against climate change, and to discover innovative approaches to tackling it. The main objective of the course is to strengthen young people's awareness of possible socio-environmental changes and to encourage them to generate such changes or become part of them.

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How the course works

The training developed within the Climalt project includes a free online course of 32 hours, which will be accessible from 25 November 2019 to 25 February 2020, and 1 thematic webinar complementary to the course, to be held in March 2020. The training will be delivered in four languages: English, Bulgarian, Croatian and Italian.

The online course is made up of three chapters (causes–impacts–alternatives), divided into seven modules, comprising a total of 14 lessons. Each module includes video lessons (10 hours), quizzes, readings and one exercise to be completed per chapter.

The main topics covered in the lessons are: the science of climate change; energy consumption, food systems and the linear economy and their influence on climate change; environmental and socio-economic impacts of climate change; the political framework and international climate agreements; climate justice, circular economy, zero waste, energy transition and mitigation options and agricultural adaptation in response to climate change.

View the programme in detail

Each language version of the course (English, Bulgarian, Croatian, Italian) will be complemented by a 90-minute in-depth webinar on alternative practices for tackling climate change.

Upon completing the course, participants will receive a certificate of attendance attesting to the specific skills acquired. To obtain the certificate, students must complete at least 75 per cent of the course.

Eligibility criteria for Climalt

The training is aimed at young people aged between 18 and 30 who are interested in environmental and climate issues and who are able to demonstrate prior educational, professional or activist experience in these areas. A minimum level of English is required, and applications with a background in volunteering and active climate citizenship will be preferred.

A total of 160 candidates will be selected, 40 for each language version of the course. Those selected will be asked to provide a Google account to access the e-learning platform.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted via an online form available for each language version of the course. Applicants can enter information about their background, experience and motivation to participate directly in the form.

The deadline for submitting an application is 7 November 2019. Selected candidates will be contacted by 18 November 2019. Further information can be found on the website or on the Facebook page.

The context in which Climalt sits

The latest Ipcc assessment warns that the impacts and costs of global warming will be far greater than expected and will have a significant impact on ecosystems, human communities and economies.

Yet the vast gap between the path we need to take and the one we are currently on becomes more apparent every day, as was evident, for example, at Cop 24 in Katowice, Poland, where governments continued to weaken the agreements reached in Paris at Cop 21.

Climate change is finally on the global public agenda. Youth activism is playing a central role in this awareness-raising process, particularly through the growing participation of young people everywhere in the world in movements calling for effective measures to protect their future from the impacts of climate change.

The role of agriculture in the climate crisis

As the Ipcc and Ipbes reports have shown, along with many other important studies, climate change and the erosion of biodiversity are among the most urgent issues of our time. When it comes to the climate crisis, efforts to reduce emissions are often directed at the energy sector or at halting deforestation. However, the agricultural sector is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. To meet the Cop21 objectives of limiting global warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, emissions from the agricultural sector must be reduced.

Traditional agroecological production systems have significant potential for adaptation and mitigation, offering key pathways to address the global challenge of climate change.

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In terms of climate action, there has been a polarisation in the debate over how responsibilities should be shared among stakeholders. Interested parties at all levels, including young people, should be empowered to engage critically with global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainable food security. Greater pressure on governments is needed so that they understand the importance of ecological farming in climate change measures and support more sustainable food systems.