New climate change certificate offered

These days, as the nation – and much of the world – is in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the certificate has gained even greater relevance as there are many analogies between both threats to humans and their economic well-being. “Climate change is more than the physical science,” said Shannon O’Lear, professor of geography at KU, who helped create the program. According to O’Lear, the climate change certificate will serve to bolster students' credentials in a vital area of scientific and societal importance as they look to find employment or continue their academic careers after graduation. “The phrase we hear from professionals is ‘stackable credentials,’ meaning they want students to show multiple things on their transcript when they graduate,” she said. Both O’Lear and Ven Der Veen said the societal and economic disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic could be a mere coming attraction for the larger issue of climate chaos. “With the coronavirus, back in January and February when people were becoming aware of this seemingly far-away process, we missed opportunities for early intervention,” O’Lear said. Many of the societal weaknesses revealed by coronavirus — mass unemployment, disruptions to supply chains, wild swings in commodity and stock values — will be tested more severely by the changing climate. Climate is where we all live: short and long-term weather patterns, storms and disasters, food and water supply – the very basis of our economic systems,” O’Lear said. “Even on the short time scale, we can see considerable improvements in the environment, such as less pollution in India – allowing folks to see the Himalayas for hundreds of miles – or the lagoon of Venice. The university's mission is to lift students and society by educating leaders, building healthy communities and making discoveries that change the world.