Environmental Sustainability and Global Change

Upon completing this program, participants will be able to:

• Understand sustainability’s three pillars: environmental (resource conservation, pollution prevention, ecosystem protection), social (worker welfare, community impact, human rights), and economic (long-term viability, sustainable growth, shared value).
• Recognise climate change impacts on occupational safety: increasing heat stress exposure (more frequent and intense heat waves), wildfire smoke affecting outdoor workers, severe weather events disrupting operations and creating new hazards, and the adaptation planning HSE professionals must lead.
• Understand carbon management fundamentals: Scope 1 (direct emissions), Scope 2 (purchased energy), Scope 3 (value chain), carbon footprinting, and the reduction strategies that HSE professionals are increasingly expected to support.
• Apply circular economy principles: reducing waste through design, reuse, recycling, and the operational changes that reduce environmental impact and improve resource efficiency.
• Understand ESG reporting: the Environmental, Social, and Governance frameworks (GRI, SASB, TCFD awareness) that drive organisational sustainability commitments, and the HSE professional’s role in providing environmental and social data for ESG reporting.

Core Topics

• Sustainability Pillars: environmental, social, economic
• Climate Change and OSH: heat stress, wildfire smoke, severe weather, disease patterns
• Carbon Management: Scope 1/2/3, footprinting, reduction strategies
• Circular Economy: reduce, reuse, recycle, redesign, waste elimination
• ESG Reporting: GRI, SASB, TCFD, materiality, data requirements
• Green Building: LEED awareness, sustainable construction, energy efficiency
• Sustainable Procurement: supply chain sustainability, vendor evaluation
• Waste Reduction: source reduction, recycling, composting, landfill diversion
• Resource Efficiency: energy, water, materials, continuous improvement
• Climate Adaptation: planning for changing hazard profiles
• Integration with HSE: sustainability objectives within management systems
• UN SDGs Awareness: Sustainable Development Goals relevant to HSE

• HSE professionals expanding into sustainability
• Environmental managers with growing sustainability responsibilities
• Safety managers addressing climate-related hazards (heat, smoke, weather)
• ESG reporting team members needing environmental data competency
• Operations managers implementing sustainability initiatives
• Anyone seeking sustainability competency to complement HSE qualifications

• No academic degree required
• All instruction in English

Upon completion, graduates receive an American Institute of Safety Professionals certificate, wallet card, and transcript. Employer-verifiable at amiosp.com/student-verifications.

• Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001)
• Environmental Impact Assessment (project-level environmental management)
• Environmental Sustainability and Global Change — YOU ARE HERE
• International Diploma in Industrial Safety Management

Participants receive online training delivered through leading delivery platforms and the institute's Learning Management System (LMS). Training is provided directly by American Institute of Safety Professionals as well as through its network of Accredited Training Providers (ATPs), all backed by expert instruction and official study materials. Assessments are conducted online, and successful participants are awarded internationally recognized certificates.

To suit individual needs and schedules, participants can access training through the student dashboard and choose from a range of flexible delivery options, including blended learning, e-learning, remote and distance learning, and face-to-face instruction.