Reaching UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Systems Thinking

Progress global goals and the 2030 agenda through systems thinking

Tackling the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 may seem like a tall feat. However, organisations like the University of Bergen are helping make this agenda feel more possible.

On their seven-week, online short course, you’ll learn a fundamental approach to problem-solving, called systems thinking, to help the planet attain these SDGs. Gain tools for systems thinking and modelling before applying what you’ve learned in practical simulations.

Equipped with practical tools and insights, you’ll be prepared to contribute to achieving the UN’s SDGs, and making a meaningful impact on global resource management, policy, and the planet.

Approach sustainability with a holistic approach

Rather than focusing on individual parts of a problem in isolation, systems thinking emphasises looking at the relationships and interactions behind these components.

You’ll delve into this methodology, and learn how to visualise and analyse these interactions through dynamic systems models.

Explore sustainable development and resource management through practical simulations

Next, you’ll apply the tools and methodologies you’ve learned to real-world environmental problems. This includes issues relating to fisheries, climate change, energy, water, and agriculture.

These simulations will challenge you to implement sustainable solutions to the circular economy, build resilience during emergencies, and enhancing decision making through participatory systems thinking.

Learn from sustainability experts at the University of Bergen, five other universities, and from your fellow students

The course was funded by EU’s Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships programme. You’ll join a community of like-minded learners hoping to progress the sustainability of our planet from all over the world.

This course is ideal for anyone interested in sustainable development and utilising systems thinking methods to address SDG challenges. If you’re already active in the field, an educator, journalist, or policy-maker, you’ll also benefit from this course.

All you need is provided by the course.

This course is ideal for anyone interested in sustainable development and utilising systems thinking methods to address SDG challenges. If you’re already active in the field, an educator, journalist, or policy-maker, you’ll also benefit from this course.

• Evaluate policies that have been used for resource management
• Compare different sutainability problems and explore similarities
• Explore sustainability problems in simulators by making decisions over time
• Describe resource systems in terms of stocks and flows
• Describe resource systems in terms of feedback loops and nonlinearities
• Debate values and approaches to democratic decision-making
• Investigate circular economy and resilience