Day one of Climate Change learning at FutureLearn, University of Exeter
A new experience, learning online! It’s nearly 40 years since I went to a university lecture and my brain is a bit rusty since I retired. Still, here we go!
My interest in climate change has always been there – although climate change as a specific concept wasn’t fully developed so long ago, I first picked up on related issues, such as the effects of increasing CO2 emissions from the use of fossil fuels, reading “A Blueprint for Survival” published in the Ecologist in 1972, when I was still at school:
If you read this, you won’t agree with all of it, but you’ll probably be surprised at how relevant some of it is even now.
My awareness of the possibility that ordinary people might be able to help do something about the way the world is changing came about since I retired, as a result of helping the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) with their fundraising and campaigning. I quickly learned how international development is now critically affected by climate – it’s simply no use using only traditional methods of aid to developing countries because they need assistance with climate adaptation and mitigation. It’s no use having access to seed if your harvest will simply be decimated by unpredictable drought or flood. It’s no use having the knowledge of many generations if your tribal land is longer available to you to use sustainably.
Preparing to help raise public awareness of the issues in the Scottish Climate March in November 2015, I began to read online. What huge communities of knowledgeable people exist there! My Twitter handle @AMBatchelor links me with literally limitless articles, news and opinions. The trouble is, that rusty brain doesn’t always retain the exciting (and often alarming) information I find, and my critical faculties remain unsharpened by dialogue and debate. I’ve had the opportunity to attend several local climate conferences and lobbies and these definitely help, but I’m hoping that joining this course will let me experience a community of like-minded students and we can progress in our learning together. Hoping you won’t mind helping me to be a better campaigner!
Climate Student 
An “hello” from a fellow (retired and returning) student here. I’ll be following you on twitter too. The course is great – challenging keeping up with all the comments though 🙂
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Yes I’m enjoying the course too – but if you follow all the discussion and links you can spend hours! Thank you for commenting!
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