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Systems Change x Behavioural Science for Climate Action
Developed by the UNFCCC Youth4Capacity programme and UNSSC, the Systems Change x Behavioural Science for Climate Action course empowers young leaders to address climate challenges through systems thinking and behavioural science. Participants will learn to analyze complex systems, shift behaviours, and design scalable, sustainable solutions that drive climate action.
Climate change is one of the most urgent and complex challenges of our time. Addressing it requires more than technical solutions; it calls for a shift in how we think, behave, and collaborate.
Young leaders are driving this transformation, leading grassroots initiatives and innovative solutions. To turn ambition into lasting impact, they need tools to navigate complexity and influence change.
Developed through a joint partnership between the UNFCCC Secretariat’s Youth4Capacity programme and UNSSC, this course builds capacity in systems thinking and behavioural science, two complementary approaches for effective climate action.
Systems thinking helps identify root causes and design sustainable interventions, while behavioural science reveals how decisions and norms shape outcomes. Together, these disciplines equip participants to understand what needs to change, how change happens, and how to design for it. By embedding these approaches into climate capacity-building, the course aims to cultivate leaders who are informed, inspired, and strategically equipped to lead transformative change.
On completion of the module, participants will be able to:
- Recognize that climate change is a human‑induced, systemic challenge that requires both changes in individual behaviours and structural transformations.
- Understand the foundational concepts of behavioural science and how to apply its principles to design climate initiatives that effectively shift behaviours.
- Understand the foundational concepts of systems thinking and how to use its methodologies to design structural interventions that shift systems.
- Explain why combining systems thinking and behavioural science is important for changing both systems and behaviours in response to climate change.
- Adapt and apply relevant tools and frameworks to diverse project contexts, selecting behavioural science, systems thinking, or a combination of both based on the specific goals and challenges of youth-led climate initiatives.
Recognizing the varying scope and objectives of these projects, the course provides a flexible framework that enables participants to apply systems thinking, behavioural science, or an integrated approach, depending on their specific context and goals.
The course consists of three self‑paced modules that can be completed asynchronously, allowing learners to progress at their own pace.
The estimated time to complete the core content is approximately 3.5 hours. However, the modules are highly applied, giving participants the opportunity to use systems thinking and behavioural science directly in their own projects. Completing the exercises for one’s project could take up to 6–8 hours.
Upon completion of the three modules, the mandatory quiz, and the evaluation form, participants will receive a certificate. They will also have access to recorded interviews with climate professionals who share how they are applying systems thinking and behavioural science in their own projects.
Module 1: Understanding Climate Change: People, Patterns, and Systems.
Module 2: Systems Change for Climate Action.
Module 3: Behavioural Science for Climate Action.
This course is intended for people who are actively engaged or aspiring to engage in climate action and seek strategic tools to enhance the impact and sustainability of their initiatives.
This course is of particular relevance for young people aged 18–35 who engage with the UNFCCC’s Youth4Capacity programme and its Climate Catalysts Mentorship Programme, delivered in collaboration with the Youth4Climate initiative.
This course is free of charge.
