ES2005 — Environment and Sustainability
This course will cover human impacts on their natural environments (resource depletion and pollution) and the complex notion of Sustainable Development. Students will analyze resource depletion (i.e., fossil fuels, forests, fisheries, water and soil) and pollution (i.e., climate change, ocean acidification, and oceanic garbage patches and dead zones) trends over the past century to better understand our growing impacts on the natural environment. Students will also analyze a wide variety of solutions (i.e., local food systems, renewable energy systems and water systems) from the emerging field of Sustainable Development aimed at mitigating these alarming resources depletion and pollution trends. Finally, students will be introduced to policy considerations regarding the implementation of these solutions and new economic approaches to help transition from economic growth to Sustainable Development.