Overview

In order to deal with global climate change, it is necessary to simultaneously advance both ``mitigation'', which reduces greenhouse gases themselves, and ``adaptation'', which takes measures to reduce the damage caused by climate change. In the field of climate change impact assessment, attention has been focused on the impact on “cities”, and reducing the damage caused by climate change to urban residents and preserving their Quality of Life (QoL) is considered an important issue. In this course, you will learn about the impact of climate change on the QoL of local residents from the perspectives of living comfort, industry, urban structures, land use/urban environment, and traffic/transportation systems. For example, how is QoL defined, and what are the effects of climate change on it? We will also focus on agriculture (fruit tree production) as an industry and learn how to understand local climate change risks. A city has various structures such as buildings and infrastructure. How will climate change affect these stocks? How does climate change affect the heat environment in urban areas, and how can we deal with it in terms of urban development? What are the impacts of climate change on transportation systems, and how should we understand and deal with the risks? In this course, you will learn about these topics based on the latest knowledge.

Syllabus

Welcome & Pre-Course Survey

Welcome to the Coursera! Dear Students, Welcome to “Adapting to the Effects of Climate Change on Quality of Life”! No particular due date is set for now. When you start the course, please take a few minutes to fill out our pre-course survey in this section. This helps us understand who you are so that we can accommodate you in the best way possible. Thank you for your cooperation. We hope to create a great learning community where we can learn from one another. Please post your questions and thoughts and exchange views on the course topics in the Discussion Forum. Your posts will be occasionally monitored by course staff; however, owing to the large number of students and limited resources, we may not be able to answer all questions. We would appreciate your understanding. Thank you for signing up for the course “Adapting to the Effects of Climate Change on Quality of Life” We hope you enjoy the course! Best Regards, The UTokyo MOOC.

Climate change impacts on people's lives and adaptation challenges

This module covers global climate change conditions, climate change conditions in Japan, climate change impacts on people’s lives, climate change risk evaluation (the case study of Japanese mandarin), understanding adaptation challenges through stakeholder interviews, and a summary of them.

Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Planning

This module explores the recent research and development in climate change adaptation in the field of urban planning. After introducing the basics of urban planning and climate change, EcoDistricts is introduced as a model framework to address climate change issues at the district scale. Practices in Nishiki 2 District, Nagoya City is explored with a special focus on climate change impact simulation that enables community stakeholders to discuss about the potential adaptation measures.

Adaptive Strategies in Society 5.0: Building Resilience Against Disaster Risks

The advent of Society 5.0 introduces an integrated approach where technology enhances every aspect of life, emphasizing the importance of adapting to climate change and enhancing disaster resilience. This course delves into how advanced technological innovations, such as CASE (Connected, Automated, Shared, Electrification) and electric vehicles (EVs), are pivotal in developing strategies for increased resilience to environmental challenges. We place a special focus on sectors like ski resorts, which are particularly vulnerable to climate variability. Through examining a variety of adaptive measures—from strengthening infrastructure to comprehensive disaster preparedness—we aim to uncover how modern societies can navigate the challenges posed by climate change. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, the goal is to protect against future environmental threats while promoting sustainable growth.

Weight of the Society - Climate Change and Sustainable Stock-type Society -

Promoting longer durability of city is pivotal in fostering a sustainable societal model, shifting away from the prevalent "Flow-based Society" towards a more resilient "Stock-based Society." It's imperative to broaden our sustainability framework to encompass not just energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and climate change but also resource use. Embracing the principles of a Stock-based Society, which prioritizes resource preservation and reuse, can significantly mitigate CO2 emissions by reducing the need for continuous production and minimizing waste generation.