Planetary Heist: Stealing Back the Future
GreenCE’s mission is to support the necessary transition to a sustainable built environment by empowering design professionals to address the environmental, economic, and social impacts of buildings. GreenCE’s course catalog includes LEED exam preparation, continuing education to maintain your AIA or LEED credential, as well as specialty education focused on topics such as ADA/Barrier-Free requirements. We are committed to designing the highest quality continuing education programs in the construction industry.
Welcome to Earth's most terrifying reality show - and you're already starring in it. Right now, as you read this, ancient permafrost is melting and releasing methane bombs that have been sleeping for millennia. Ice sheets the size of countries are collapsing into the ocean. Entire species are vanishing before we even discover them. We've pushed the planet past multiple tipping points, and the Earth system is now hunting us back with unprecedented heat waves, super storms, and ecological collapse. This isn't science fiction - this is your life.
But here's the twist: you might be humanity's last hope. In this course, you'll learn to read the warning signs that most people miss, understand the planetary forces now unleashed, and discover the desperate measures scientists are considering - from hijacking the atmosphere to engineering new life forms. You'll explore why some experts believe civilizational collapse is inevitable, while others think we can still pull off the greatest heist in history: stealing back our future from the jaws of extinction. The question isn't whether you're brave enough to face the truth - it's whether you're smart enough to help write humanity's survival manual before time runs out.
- Evaluate how human activities have fundamentally altered Earth's climate, biodiversity, and assess the health implications for both ecosystems and human populations.
- Use Earth system science and complex systems theory to understand planetary boundaries, tipping points, and feedback loops that govern ecological stability and human wellbeing.
- Examine how environmental degradation disproportionately affects marginalized communities and evaluate solutions that promote both ecological health and social equity.
- Develop strategies for sustainable living that work within ecological limits, drawing from indigenous knowledge, technological innovation, and alternative economic models to support long-term human and planetary health.
