Causes and Consequences of Environmental Change

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/AM_1049

Course Objective

The goal of this course is to develop a common knowledge base about the causes and consequences of environmental changes and about how different disciplines perceive and address environmental problems. The course provides the opportunity to develop skills expected of master’s graduates, notably literature search, efficient reading and synthesis, group work and writing skills and for grasping sustainability issues. By the end of this course, students should be able to: Link the different components of socio-ecological systems: demands in terms of resources, biological processes, impacts and response driving the causes and consequences of environmental changeCapture the links between society, economics and environmental and how these interactions drive the fate of a given systemCharacterize the type of relationship among these elements by using the different system concepts that will be viewed in the course: system boundaries, reinforcing and balancing loops, non-linearity, threshold effects, uncertaintyJudge the relevance of indicators used to describe the systems in a real-life setting linked to decision-making in environmental processes analysisReflect on concept around social sciences, e.g. societal or individual responsibility and how these concepts can impact the responses to environmental changesDemonstrate a capacity in collaborating in an interdisciplinary environment and contribute to a shared goalDevelop skills in handling databases, presenting information in a synthetic and well framed way, writing in an efficient way

Course Content

Current human activities including agriculture, fishing, mining among others alter the core functions of global as well as local ecosystems. Anthropogenic climate change and the accelerating loss of biodiversity are pressing drivers of the planet change and are receiving increasing attention. However, many others local to global environmental impacts are also happening in parallel such as the degradation of ecosystems services, disturbance of the nitrogen cycles notable in link with the food chain, intensive land use change and various pollutants affecting natural ecosystems and human health. More sustainable development pathways are urgently needed. Identifying such pathways require an interdisciplinary and system understanding of the drivers and impacts of human activities to search for solution. This requires the involvement of numerous academic disciplines including natural and social sciences and appropriate assessment of current system functioning via system thinking and assessment of change of these system with appropriate indicators. Causes and consequences of environmental change presents the breadth of environmental problems and negative impacts, using different discipline to examine causes, effects and possible solutions. It is a compulsory course in Environmental Resource Management master program as well as by students from other curricula from the social environmental or earth sciences, as an extra curricula course. The course serves to develop a system understanding of environmental, social and economic impacts using i) System Dynamic approaches (e.g., causal loop diagram building in groups), ii) scenario of climate change mitigation, iii) indicators-based assessment in groups and iv) debate on the necessity of economic growth through 4 key practical exercises proposed during the course. Those practical exercises are fed by multiple guest lectures targeting specifically planetary boundaries (biosphere integrity, climate change, land system change, biogeochemical cycles, freshwater use, pollution) and society and population as a driver of negative impacts and potential solutions through for instance appropriate governance.

Teaching Methods

The course is worth 6 ECTS credits which corresponds to 168 hours of work per student. The course comprises two sets of activities. The first takes place in classes, where information is presented through lectures, guest presentations, workshops and debates. The second includes assignments where student’s ability to achieve the course’s objectives is tested and students get hands-on experience with some of the methods discussed during the course. Assessment involves these written assignments and the exam. Feedback opportunities are included in class activities, question hours and presentations are organized for the assignments. Approximate time allocation:Class: about 44 hours (HC=16, CPR=8, WC=20)Reading and exam preparation: about 64 hoursAssignments and presentation: about 60 hours

Method of Assessment

Type of assessment:Assignments (A) worth 40% of the final grade (minimum grade to pass the course: 5.5)Written exam (E) worth 60% of the final grade (minimum grade to pass the course: 5.5). One resit possibility in December/January.It is compulsory to attend the assignment-related working lectures, activities and practical exercises.

Literature

The course builds on a series of scientific articles, which will be announced in the course guide, as well as selected book chapters which include: Harris, J.M. and Roach, B. (2014) Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary Approach. 3rd Edition. Chapter 9 (Lecture Population, Affluence, Technology) and Chapters 1+7 (Lecture Economic instruments). Required text for ERM Course on Environmental Economics (Period 2).

Target Audience

The course is part of the MSc programme 'Environment and Resource Management' but is open to all MSc students.

Additional Information

The course is coordinated by Dr. Pierre Chopin, and lectured by:
• Dr. Pierre Chopin ([email protected])
• Mrs. Adna Steinmann ([email protected])
• Dr. Nynke Schulp ([email protected])
• Dr. Esther Boere ([email protected])
• Prof. Dr. Philipp Pattberg ([email protected])
• Prof. Dr. Jeroen van den Bergh
• Dr. Harry Aiking ([email protected])
• Dr. Frederic Béen ([email protected])