Climate Change and Global Sustainability School for International Training

Overview

Climate change is a pressing concern at global, regional, and local scales. Based on School for International Training ’s unique brand of place-based experiential learning, this Climate Change and Global Sustainability program provides an opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and global experience to address climate change and enhance environmental sustainability and responsible human livelihoods. By using natural and social sciences to engage with communities, environments, practices, and policies, we can limit and mitigate climate change impacts on our world. The program will prepare you to work in the fields of climate change science, policy, conservation, development, or community advocacy.During your first semester in Iceland, meet your cohort, participate in orientation, and gain a deeper understanding of the country’s pathbreaking energy alternatives to fossil fuels. You will also explore Iceland’s methods for reducing carbon dioxide output, its core policies of environmental governance, and its changing geopolitical role as a leader in European energy innovation.In your second semester, travel to Zanzibar, exploring the effects of climate change on tropical ecosystems, communities of the Indian Ocean, and best practices for balancing natural resources with sustainable growth. You will also interact with scientists, activists, and leaders as you learn about agriculture and aquaculture, food chains and markets, water and food security, government policies, and coastal urban planning.

Spend your final semester undertaking a professional practicum at a prominent environmental or climate change organization. This will allow you to apply what you have learned to a professional setting while gaining real-world skills for your résumé. You will also complete a capstone paper reflecting on your experience.

Career Paths

• Foreign Agricultural Service officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC
• Senior campaign coordinator, Union of Concerned Scientists, Chicago, Illinois
• Program coordinator for climate resiliency in central Appalachia, The Nature Conservancy, Appalachia, U.S.
• Senior researcher for bio-cultural landscapes, International Network of Mountain Indigenous Peoples and Asociacion ANDES, Parque de la Papa, Peru
• Water planner, Maryland Department of the Environment, Baltimore, Maryland
• Consultant, Gable Associates: Energy, Environmental, and Public Utility Consulting, Boston, Massachusetts
• Consultant, WASH Climate Change Policy in Latin American and Caribbean, The World Bank
• Forest manager, One Tree Planted, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Media fellow (foreign/world, including climate issues), Vox.com