Foundations of Sustainability

This course builds the conceptual and practical foundation every climate-literate professional needs. Starting from how Earth’s climate system works and ending at the frontier of emerging technologies, it bridges science, economics, policy, and innovation into one coherent learning journey.

What you will learn:

• The science behind global warming, from the greenhouse effect and heat-trapping gases to real-world impacts like heatwaves, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss, and why mitigation and adaptation must go hand in hand
• How to measure and account for carbon, from organizational greenhouse gas inventories (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) to life-cycle assessment, ISO 14064, CDP, SBTi, and the digital tools now transforming emissions transparency
• Why energy sits at the center of the climate crisis, how energy use varies by region and development context, and what a just, inclusive transition actually requires beyond simply cutting emissions fast
• The full landscape of low-carbon solutions, including solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and bioenergy, alongside efficiency, electrification, hydrogen, sector coupling, green finance, and decentralized energy models
• What comes next, from carbon capture and direct air removal to AI-powered grids, rare earth materials, new battery chemistries, and why fusion and other high-risk bets must not delay deployment of solutions we already have

The course “Foundations of Sustainability” is part of the broader “Get Into Energy Transition” learning pathway co-developed by Schneider Electric and INCO Academy, available on the Skill Our Future Learning Platform.