Insights from the first four years of our Climate Change: Learning for Action fellowship.
LEARNING FOR ACTION
climate fellowship
Climate Change: Learning for Action
A 12-week climate fellowship to understand the complexities of climate change and arrive at your perfect climate role. Over a thousand alumni have found their climate solution... find yours now.
- Apply by Jan 17, 2025
- Course starting Jan 27, 2025
Join THOUSANDS of alumni already leading on climate
Climate fellowship overview
An expert-guided journey with a global community committed to climate action.
Key course details:
- 100% online
- 6-10 hours/week
- 10-12 expert lectures
- Weekly deep dives and discussion groups
- Hands-on projects
- Personalized feedback and support
- Tailored career development support
- Digital certificate upon graduation
100+ up-to-date modules on:
- Climate science
- Local and global impacts
- Energy
- Food & agriculture
- Carbon removal
- Politics
- Economics
- Communications
- Climate finance
- Climate risk
- Corporate sustainability
- Adaptation
- Alternative models of development
Know the problem to know the solutions
Dive into the most structured, up-to-date content on climate science, impacts and solutions so that you can work on the solutions that matter.
You are not alone on this journey
Learn with hundreds of others from around the world and be guided by over a thousand alumni and mentors currently taking climate action.
There’s a role for you.
Thousands have used the climate change fellowship to define how to apply their unique skills and talents to have a meaningful impact. Join them.
28
Graduated cohorts
3,300+
Graduates
9.3
Avg. course rating
Learn from world-class educators
Kamal Kapadia, Ph.D.
Course Creator and Terra.do Co-Founder
Dr. Kamal Kapadia has 25 years of work, research and teaching experience in the fields of climate change, clean energy and sustainable development. She started her career in the late 1990s working for solar PV startups SELCO in India and Sri Lanka, and Solarcentury (now Statkraft) in the UK. She has consulted on clean energy planning with the World Bank and also managed research and communications for Blue Planet Foundation in Hawaii, the organization that successfully lobbied for the U.S.’s first state-level 100% renewable energy law. Kamal was also a research fellow at the Environmental Change Institute, Univ. of Oxford, where she taught extensively on the Master’s program in Environmental Change and Management.
Kamal holds an M.Sc. in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley. You can follow Kamal on LinkedIn.
Hear about the Terra.do climate fellowship from course creator Dr. Kamal Kapadia
Engage with climate experts
Lively and engaging sessions that are designed to help you understand the practical applications of what you learn each week.
David Roberts
Climate journalist, previously at Vox and Grist (USA)
Jamie Alexander
Director, Drawdown Labs (USA)
Dr. Tracey Osborne
Director of the California Center for Climate Justice (USA)
Dr. Jeremy Leggett
Founder, Solarcentury and Highlands Rewilding (UK)
Kimiko Hirata
Goldman Environmental Prize Winner (Japan)
Talk to alumni at an open house
Ask questions and learn how to make the best of our climate change fellowship from course instructors and alumni.
Live open house session:
- Dec 10, 2024
- 8:00am (PST)
- Jan 14, 2025
- 8:00am (PST)
- Jan 14, 2025
- 7:00pm (PST)
Need advice?
Let’s chat about how our climate fellowship can help you find your path. Talk to us 1:1.
Jumpstart your climate career
Join a life-long community of 1500+ fellows. Learn from accomplished operators and executives. Take the next step of your career with confidence.
Transition to your dream job in climate
700+ fellows have found new climate jobs after the climate fellowship.
Alyssa Dizon (USA)
Founding Product Lead at rePurpose Global, previously at BlocPower.
Chris Trew (Australia)
Finance Manager, Green Energy, previously at Chevron.
Colin Bovet (USA)
Head of Growth at QuitCarbon, previously at Gregarious, Inc.
Build the next great climate company
150+ fellows are now running climate startups across sectors.
José Galindo (USA)
Co-founder of Waterplan, previously at Innovid.
Namita Dalmia (India)
Co-founder of Enzia Ventures, previously at Omidyar Network.
Adam Braun (USA)
Co-founder of Clarasight, previously at WeWork.
Kickstart your organization's climate journey
100+ fellows are now furthering climate and sustainability goals in their orgs.
Pia F (Philippines)
Director for Social Impact at Thinking Machines, previously managing data insights.
Esther Nai (USA)
Manager of Climate Resilience at Salesforce, previously program manager.
Sundeep Reddy (India)
Head of ESG & Analytics at Gramener, previously leading analytics.
Wondering where to start?
Answer a few questions to understand how our program can help you in your climate journey.
Course syllabus
A journey through the complexities of climate science and solutions to become an effective agent of climate action.
What’s a typical week like in our Learning for Action Fellowship?
Here’s what you can expect as a fellow in our flagship climate action accelerator.
This course includes:
- 20 classes with 100+ modules
- 1-on-1 support and feedback
- Expert-led lectures and workshops
- Careers support and networking
- Instructor-led discussions
Course modules, classes and schedule
- Week 1
Welcome and introduction to climate change
Class one:
What is climate change? • Build a simple climate model • The greenhouse effect • Radiative/climate forcing • The drivers of climate change
- Week 2
Foundations of climate science
Class:
Emissions and the global carbon cycle
• The global carbon cycle • Global warming potential • Methane and other gases • Emissions accounting
- Week 3
Climate impacts and building personal resilience
Class one:
Understanding Global Impacts • Why 1.5C? • When will warming stop? • Global impacts (temp, rain, ice, sea level, ocean currents) • Global carbon budget
- Week 4
Mental models and how to talk about climate change
Class one:
Solutions to Climate Change: Setting the Stage: How can we evaluate and compare different approaches to tackling the climate crisis? • Mental models • Comparing impact and cost • Masculine vs. feminine framings
- Week 5
Climate change economics, politics, and justice
Class one:
Economics of Climate Change • Climate change as market failure • Alternatives to mainstream environmental economics • Policy options for climate change • Principles of carbon pricing • Carbon markets • Social cost of carbon
- Week 6
Systems thinking for mitigation and the importance of energy
Class one:
A Systems Perspective on Mitigation: En-ROADS workshop by Climate Interactive – Fellows engage in using the En-ROADS simulation tool in a 1-hour session facilitated by a Climate Interactive ambassador
- Week 7
Decarbonizing transport, buildings, and industry
Class one:
Energy and Climate Change 2: Electrify Everything ++ • Making the case to “electrify everything” • Decarbonizing transport: emissions sources, mobility in cities, EVs, trucking and trains, shipping, a systems lens on mobility
- Week 8
Transforming land use
Class one:
Food and Farming • Challenges facing the global food system • Regenerative agriculture and soil health with optional case studies • Food supply chains and decarbonization
- Week 9
Avoiding greenwashing
Class one:
Carbon Offsets • What are offsets? • Challenges facing offsets • Future of offsets • Alternatives to offsets
- Week 10
Financing the transition
Class one:
Climate Finance 1: The Investments Landscape • The basics: what is finance? • The paradox of finance • Public green finance: US, India, multilateral, debt-for-climate swaps • Private green finance: ESG, green bonds, climate tech VC • Blended green finance
- Week 11
Organizational action and adaptation
Class one:
Corporate Climate Action: A guide to leading a sustainable business • Corporate sustainability • ESG • Net-zero planning • Life-cycle analysis • Managing emissions • Going beyond sustainable and towards regenerative • Optional: Tips on building employee climate action
- Week 12
Graduation and climate action plan presentations
Class:
Graduation Ceremony
Typical course weekly schedule
| Day of week | Activity | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Asynchronous classes released | 12am PT |
| Monday | Careers session (optional) | 8am PT |
| Tuesday | Live lab | Offered at various time, assigned by preference |
| Wednesday | Guest talk | 8am PT* |
| Thursday | Deep dive (optional) | 8am PT |
| Friday | Networking & co-working (optional) | 8am PT |
We understand that work or family commitments may cause fellows to be unavailable for various events. All mandatory sessions are recorded and can be viewed asynchronously if missed.
*Some sessions are available at 7pm PT
Take a free class —
Carbon Dioxide Removal
Our future depends in part on quickly removing carbon dioxide from the air. Learn what makes this complex, difficult, and vital.
- Experience a sample of the course content
- Deep dive into our popular class on carbon dioxide removal
Personalized and expert instruction
Our skilled instructors have advanced degrees and/or global experience in climate change work and education. They're your first port of call for questions you have as you go through your learning journey.
Climate lab groups
Once a week, you will meet with your instructor in small-group sessions for:
- Energetic discussions on the topics of the week
- Presentations by your fellow learners
- Action-oriented, creative group activities
Up-to-date material
We update our learning material to stay cutting-edge:
- Latest developments on the science, climate impacts
- New market solutions
- Lifetime access for fellows
Real-world assignments
You will engage in individual and team projects designed to:
- Apply learnings to your local context
- Develop your climate voice and create a climate work portfolio
- Strengthen communication and collaboration skills
Personal attention
We track every fellow’s progress and ensure people get the support they need:
- 1-on-1 support from your instructor
- Individual feedback on all assignments
- Personalized career transition advice
Job search support
After completion of LFA, you’ll get access to a climate career coach to help you:
- Strategize how you can get started in climate if you haven't had experience before
- Define what climate jobs your skill set best fits
- Design a job search and networking strategy to accelerate your career transition
Get one-on-one mentorship every step of the way
Guidance on your personal climate career journey from industry experts across the world.
200+
Mentors
20+
Countries
Carefully curated
Fellows can schedule meetings & receive expert guidance from 150+ curated climate experts.
Across sectors
Every major climate sector: energy, policy, agriculture, sustainability, ESG, climate finance, and more.
Deeply experienced
Professional and expert mentors with decades of climate experience on the ground.
Dedicated time
1:1 time to give you personalized guidance on your climate career plans and ambition.
academic advisory board
Steered by distinguished experts
Meet our academic advisory board comprised of leaders in the fields of climate science, social entrepreneurship, clean energy, climate finance, climate justice, transformative leadership, climate policy, and resilience. They guide and help maintain the high quality of our learning offerings.
Dr. Katharine Wilkinson
Executive Director, The All We Can Save Project (USA)
Dr. Wilkinson (she/her) is an author, strategist, teacher, and one of 15 “women who will save the world,” according to Time magazine.
Dr. Charles Fletcher
Interim Dean, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (USA)
Dr. Fletcher is an award-winning educator and researcher. He focuses on natural coastal ecosystems and coastal community resiliency.
Dr. Sarah Burch
Associate Professor, University of Waterloo (Canada)
Dr. Burch is an expert on transformative community responses to climate change, and on sustainability and small businesses.
Dr. Harish Hande
Founder, SELCO (India)
Dr. Hande is the chairman of SELCO India, which provides affordable renewable energy to poor and underserved households in rural India.
Dr. Gordon L. Clark
Senior Consultant and Emeritus Professor, Oxford University (UK)
Dr Clark has held academic appointments at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Law School and Carnegie Mellon.
Dr. Radhika Khosla
Associate Professor, Oxford University (UK)
Dr. Khosla is an associate professor at the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment. She studies the growing demand for cooling energy.
Is the climate fellowship for me?
Climate Change: Learning for Action has helped thousands of professionals from varied backgrounds including advocates, policymakers, lawyers, technologists, artists, designers, business professionals, entrepreneurs, farmers, data scientists, educators, journalists, project managers, and investors realign their skills to take climate action. Some common backgrounds we see are:
Advocacy and policy
Professionals wanting to work on climate solutions, build capacity for adaptation and resilience, or mainstream climate justice in NGO or governmental organizations.
Paul Sherman
Campaign Manager at Conservation Colorado
Former senior outreach manager at MAZON. Now Campaign Manager at Conservation Colorado.
Terra.do climate fellowship, 2023
Business professional
Individuals in sales, marketing, biz dev, finance and other functions who want a climate career transition or to drive corporate climate leadership.
Ishan Nangia
Data scientist at
Coastal Impact India
Former Locus data scientist. Now data scientist and conservation diver Coastal Impact India
Terra.do climate fellowship, 2023
Technologist
Engineers, data scientists, or product managers who want to found climate startups or accelerate effective solutions through technology.
Nathan Kiner
CEO & Co-Founder
at Sunjul
Xoogler technical project manager. Now founded Sunjul, a solar software application for farms
Terra.do climate fellowship, 2021