Summer Springboard
Climate Change & Environmental Policy
ON THE CAMPUS OF UC SAN DIEGO
MASTER CLIMATE POLICY AND DATA-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS THROUGH HANDS-ON SIMULATIONS, COASTAL FIELD RESEARCH AND STRATEGIC POLICY DESIGN.
THIS IS A TWO-WEEK PROGRAM WHERE YOU’LL FOCUS ON ONE COURSE FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION.
Climate Change & Environmental Policy at UC San Diego
- Develop a Climate Action Plan for a city or university campus, balancing emissions goals, economic impacts and community needs.
- Map coastal flood risks using digital tools to identify infrastructure threatened by rising sea levels.
- Participate in a carbon market simulation to explore how cap-and-trade policies work.
- Design a clean energy strategy by modeling solar power, battery storage and electricity demand.
- Test how different climate policies affect projected global temperatures using interactive climate models.
- Analyze environmental justice data to identify vulnerable communities and prioritize climate solutions.
Summer Springboard
Climate Change & Environmental Policy
About This Course
Climate policy shapes some of today’s most pressing global challenges, influencing everything from economic development and urban planning to public health and environmental conservation. City planners, energy analysts and policymakers actively navigate the tradeoffs between rapid decarbonization, economic growth and community vulnerability. By evaluating real-world tools like cap-and-trade markets, grid-level energy storage models and GIS risk mapping, students will gain firsthand insight into how climate solutions are designed, negotiated and implemented in local communities.
TOPICS YOU'LL EXPLORE
Hands-on Learning
Students will transform theoretical climate science and policy frameworks into lived, real-world practice. Course excursions may include guided tours to inspect local sustainability and renewable energy infrastructure, field surveys along nearby coastal bluffs to assess erosion and sea-level rise risks, or visits to university research centers to see how environmental data is collected firsthand. Complementing these site visits are hands-on policy labs where students analyze local pollution burdens using environmental justice mapping tools, design clean energy strategies balancing renewable power and storage, and negotiate regional emissions targets in a fast-paced carbon market simulation.
Career Exploration
Students gain firsthand insight into diverse career pathways across environmental law, urban planning, climate consulting, and public policy analysis. Through guest lectures and interactions with industry professionals, participants explore how multidisciplinary experts collaborate to design, fund, and enforce sustainable climate solutions.
RESOURCES
Course Infosheet
Click here to view or download the printable infosheet for this course.
Program Catalog
Click here to request our catalog to learn more about our summer programs and courses.
Campus Page
Click here to view the website page for this campus and learn more.
“Summer Springboard was an amazing experience and I am so glad I chose to do this program. It taught so much about what I want to pursue in my future.”
– Taliha B. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Climate Change & Environmental Policy
Meet Your Instructor
2027 Instructor Information Coming Soon!
Courses are taught by accomplished and passionate faculty recruited from many area colleges, universities and professional forums. Each faculty member is selected for their subject area expertise and proven ability to both challenge and captivate students.
“I had a great time at Summer Springboard and learned a lot in my academic course. It’s a fun balance of academics and excursions and college life experience.”
-Justin R. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Climate Change & Environmental Policy
Dates & Tuition
| 2027 Dates |
|---|
| Session 1: June 20 – July 2, 2027 |
Click here to enroll in this course using our online enrollment form.
| Tuition |
|---|
| Residential Tuition: $5,998* |
| Commuter Tuition: $3,298* |
*Apply by November 30 to lock in the lowest prices of the year. Tuition increases on December 1.
Tuition Protection Plan: Allows for cancellation for any reason up until the day of the program.
| Location |
|---|
| City: San Diego |
| State: California |
| Campus: UC San Diego |
Summer Springboard programs are not run by our campus partners (with the exception of Cal Poly, NYSID and UW Foster which are run in partnership with SSB). Universities and their affiliated departments and partners do not control and are not responsible or liable in any manner for any part of the Summer Springboard program.