Liverpool John Moores becomes first university to offer climate change degree

With growing concern for the impending climate crisis, three universities across the UK are pioneering degrees dedicated to climate change.

Liverpool John Moores has become the first university to offer a BSc course,  and while only four students are currently studying it, forty more have applied this year.

The course covers everything from an introduction to climatology to learning about renewables and low carbon futures.

Following in LJMUs footsteps, Greenwich University will offer a similar course in the coming year, with Northhampton hoping to launch a climate change course in 2022.

Although other degrees cover climate change, these are said to be the first standalone undergraduate degrees.

To meet targets made in the Paris Agreements, we need more people working in green jobs. Therefore, we hope that the graduates of these courses will lead the way into a greener future as a climate-literate workforce.

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‘Creating informed, engaged, passionate climate change graduates’

Speaking to the Times, Dr Tim Lane, Liverpool John Moores’s climate change programme leader explained:

“Climate change is the largest threat facing humanity, and the school strikes and other action from children have shown us how invested young people are in these issues.

“We see this course as a clear way to help young people harness that energy into learning more about this subject, and creating informed, engaged, passionate climate change graduates who will make a difference in the world.”

‘Global efforts to mitigate emissions will need to be accelerated’

Dr Conor Walsh, the climate change programme leader at Greenwich University added:

“Climate change is fast becoming the defining challenge of this century. Many organisations have committed to reducing their emissions.

“Today’s school leavers will be entering the workforce at a point where global efforts to mitigate emissions will need to be accelerated.”

We love the concept of a climate change degree, allowing students to focus wholly on the biggest challenge the globe is facing rather than simply covering the crisis within another degree.

You can find out more about the new climate change degree at Liverpool John Moores here.

Want to do more to help the planet?
Read our article on how eating a vegan diet can help combat climate change.