Online Course about Marine Litter

Marine litter, or marine debris, are human-created waste that has been released in a body of water either on purpose or by accident. This in turn causes damage to marine animals, people and property. 

To combat this, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in cooperation with the Open University of the Netherlands, will be launching a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Marine Litter. The aim is to create leadership and offer professional development opportunities related to marine litter within the framework of the Global Partnership on MarineLitter.

This course will help improve the capacity of students through action oriented learning on how they can apply successful and inspiring activities to combat marine pollution. It will be offered through a series of lectures, case studies and videos, along with additional study materials.

The MOOC is will be available in two tracks:
 
Leadership Track: 8 hours of learning introducing the student to the basic characteristics and concepts of the marine litter issue and various strategies to prevent and reduce marine litter; and
 
Expert Track: 32 additional hours and a final assignment for professionals and students who want to acquire more in-depth knowledge, insights and skills relating to prevention of marine litter.

This will involve topics such as:

·    The environmental impact and societal relevance of marine litter problems;

·    Technical solutions, including alternatives and recycling;

·    The governance of marine litter;

·    Sources, processes, modelling and monitoring of marine litter;

·    Designing and selecting effective strategies for marine litter;

·    Awareness raising, education and outreach, and capacity building;

·    Implementation of policies, laws, and market-based instruments;

·    Skills to develop an action plan to reduce marine litter pollution.

You can check out the brochure here.