University of Antwerp to offer new course on climate change

From this September onward, students at the University of Antwerp will be able to learn everything they ever wanted to know about climate change.

This makes the University of Antwerp the first institution of higher education to offer a course on the topic in Flanders.

The lessons are to examine climate change through an interdisciplinary lens, looking at it from a biological, applied science, historical, economic and philosophical perspective.

University of Antwerp lecturer and biologist Sara Vicca told De Standaard that the elective course will be open to students in the second and third year of their bachelor’s programme, no matter what their field of study is.

“This is not only important for biologists; the climate impacts every area of society and science,” Vicca said, pointing out that extreme weather conditions prompted by climate change will for instance have significant repercussions for how engineers and architects go about future projects.

“It’s very important that we tell our students where they can find reliable information. Seek out science and especially the specialists in that field,” she added.

Like several other European nations, Belgium has recently seen multiple protest marches led by youths and students (pictured) who’ve called on the government to take more action on climate change.

Photo: Belga / Benoit Doppagne

Written by Linda A. Thompson