Climate Change & Energy
College of the Atlantic
Energy fundamentals and community projects
Addressing climate change and transitioning to renewable energy require insights and skills from every academic discipline.
Effectively advocating for renewable energy and implementing local projects require a range of knowledge and skills. Our interdisciplinary curriculum makes it possible to gain a powerful combination of skills that are often spread out across different majors at a typical college or university. Opportunities to work on local energy projects are available to all, not just advanced engineering students.
COA students regularly take part in international climate negotiations
The introductory class The Physics and Mathematics of Sustainable Energy gives students a broad foundation in various aspects of renewable energy and energy conservation. Students may then go on to take more advanced, project-based classes to plan and carry out energy ventures such as installing an array of solar cells on campus or a wind turbine on Beech Hill Farm. We use our campus and farms as laboratories in which students and faculty research and implement renewable energy conservation.
Climate change politics and action
COA students are frequent participants in meetings of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At these meetings, students engage with the process of the negotiations and collaborate with youth activists from around the globe. Back at COA, classes like Global Environmental Politics, Climate Justice, and Environmental Law and Policy give students a solid grounding in the theory and practice of international environmental politics. The student-led group Earth in Brackets meets regularly on campus and sends representatives to UNFCCC meetings, as well as blogging about climate change politics, sustainable development, and environmental justice. Between the energy and dedication of the students, and the support from faculty who are active on the forefront of UNFCCC politics, Earth in Brackets has emerged as a leader in the youth climate justice movement.
Science
Students learn the science behind our changing climate in courses such as Climate and Weather, Seminar in Climate Change, and Environmental Chemistry. Geology courses like Geology of Mt. Desert Island or Geology and Humanity introduce studies of the earth’s climate and its change over multiple time scales.
Reminder: Areas of study aren’t the only way to think about courses. Browse and explore here.
Faculty
David Rockefeller Family Chair in Ecosystem Management and Protection
Sharpe-McNally Chair of Green and Socially Responsible Business
Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Chair in Earth Systems and GeoSciences
Faculty in Global Environmental Politics, Agriculture Policy, & International Studies
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Student voices
COA Might be Right for You if…
…you are ready to have your life and identity flipped on its head and dunked in the ocean repeatedly.
Jonna Lynn Nielsen ’27
…you don’t know what you want to study because you have far too many interests to just focus in on one of them.
Wilson Korneev ’28
…you want to be in a small community where people will remember your name.
Alya Kiiashko ’25
…you have an open mind, enjoy small communities, and want a well-rounded (however unconventional) education experience.
Seth Sears ’28
…you want to meet politically, emotionally, and academically engaged people.
Alder Ame ’27
…you think being sent to the oceanside to improve your mental health actually sounds awesome (it totally is).
Carolina de Oliveira Castro ’26
…you are passionate about the natural world and want to study it and love spending time outside.
Conrad Kortemeier ’26
…you want to be surrounded and inspired by people who are excited about niche subjects, and by people who are still figuring out what they’re doing.
Marina Schnell ’25
…you can’t choose between the mountains and the sea.
Megan Maloney ’26
…you want freedom in your class structure.
Andie Piliouras ’26
…you want small, intentional community.
Conlan Lamb ’28
…you want to expand your perspective and knowledge of the world around you, and gain valuable connections from all around the world!
Trinket Lester ’28
…you question the answers to your questions, challenge the status quo, and seek tranquility in the heart of the spruce-fir forests.
Greta Bernier ’27
…you have the desire to choose your own path to a degree.
Béatrice St-Louis ’28