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Global and regional environmental changes are a reality and pose immense threats as well as opportunities for sustainable development. The assessment of risks due to environmental changes, compounded by climate changes are an important foundation from which society can identify and implement appropriate, and effective responses. Due to their importance, assessments of environmental and climate risks must be grounded in current scientific knowledge and understanding of the processes that drive integrated human and environmental systems. Accordingly, socio-ecological systems theory is introduced in this course as a framework utilised by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) authors to examine and assess attribution, risk and vulnerability. This course is of relevance to students who wish to gain a better understanding of risk assessment processes and their application to climatic and environmental changes.

The impacts to socio-ecological systems arising from environmental changes, climate variability and extreme weather events are multifaceted and interconnected. Changes to environmental systems can result in substantial impacts for socio-cultural systems, and vice versa, manifesting in complex ways at variable temporal and spatial scales. This recognition of interconnectedness (SES systems theory) forms the basis for the course. This is a course that critically examines the impact of climate, and provides tools that enable students to assess risks to the natural and built environment and introduces students to the vulnerability of a range of ecosystem types and services. As an online course, access to the internet is required.

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Assess the risk of climatic factors to natural and built environments that are exposed and sensitive to climate change such as economic systems, agricultural and food production systems, fresh water resources, coastal, marine and forest ecosystems;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the science of climate change;
3. Evaluate the standards and tools available to assess climate risks;
4. Assess climate and environmental risks on regional and global scales and on varying temporal scales;
5. Understand the foundational frameworks that underpin the methods utilised by the IPCC to assess risk and vulnerability.