Module Code and Title: ENM308 Frontiers in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development

Programme(s): BSc Environmental Management

Credit Value: 12

Module Tutor(s): GP Sharma (Coordinator)

Samir Patel

Tshering Dolkar

Bach-Lien Ngo

General objective(s) of the module:

This module is primarily a seminar/discussion course in which students will read, evaluate, criticize and discuss recent key primary scientific literature in the field of environmental management for sustainable development. This module will enable students to explore how and why different parts of the world are changing and how people, plants and animals are living within their changing environment. The module will also cover newly emerging challenges and threats to the environment and illustrate to students how people are striving to manage and protect the many features of the world that we all share. The initial part of the module focuses on basic concepts of sustainable development, and the remainder is a seminar series comprising special lectures and readings geared towards environmental management aspects of sustainable development. The topics will also highlight the tensions that exist between value systems, and the practical implications for considering sustainability issues in a wide range of governmental and industrial applications. Emerging topics and seminal works in sustainable development, environmental management, and biodiversity conservation will be discussed. Students should be able to apply critical thinking skills to understand how the concept of environmental sustainability is put into action, and the scientific, political, economic, and ethical ramifications of doing so.

Learning outcomes – Upon successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

• Explain the various pillars of sustainable development, its objectives, and the options we have to make development more sustainable.

• Discuss the different opinions that exist on sustainable development including the criticism that is often expressed.

• Identify the various initiatives that have been taken globally to encourage sustainable development.

• Explore the most current ways in which people are striving to manage and protect the many features of the world.

• Debate on key environmental issues of the day.

• Identify primary literature sources that detail the research underlying news media stories on current environmental management issues.

• Critically evaluate evidence or examples presented in research reports against author(s)’ claims and conclusions.

• Identify caveats in research reports and construct alternative conclusions where appropriate.

• Draw appropriate broader interdisciplinary connections and conclusions from narrowly tailored research studies.

Skills to be developed:

• Students should be able to critically read and evaluate news/popular media and primary research sources and draw out big-picture connections and conclusions.

Learning and teaching approaches used:

The module will be conducted over 15 teaching weeks as follows:

• First 3 weeks:

  • 4 hrs/wk of lecture and discussions.

  • 4 hrs/wk outside of class, on average, for independent study.

• Remaining 12 weeks:

  • 2 hrs/wk block alternating weekly either: a lecture based on emerging topics from primary literature (6 in total) or a discussion section on a select paper, to be followed up by response papers by students (6 in total).

  • 2 hrs/wk student presentations – approximately 3-4 per week, of a primary literature paper of their choice, related to recent events and discoveries.

  • 4 hrs/wk outside of class, on average, for independent study.

Assessment:

Continuous Assessment (CA): 100%

Pre-requisite knowledge: ETH201 Environmental Ethics, EEC201 Environmental Economics, BDC202 Biodiversity Conservation and Management II, ENM304 Environmental Hazards Management, ENM305 Urban Environmental Management, RSP301 Undergraduate Research Project I

Subject matter:

1. Sustainable development, concepts and management with particular emphasis on the environment

1. Principles for sustainable development; basic pillars of sustainable development

1. Economic perspective

2. Environmental perspective

3. Social perspective: energy, Industry and renewable system, social modernization - a new direction

2. Sustainable Development: approaches and indicators

1. Factors influencing development sustainability

2. Daly’s rule

3. Indicators for sustainable development

4. Environmental indicators; cause-effect response logic (OECD, UNEP/UNSTAT, World Bank)

5. Case studies on environmental indicators: national and international

3. Review of key areas, recent issues and challenges in environmental management

1. Land (forests, grasslands, agriculture, urban areas, etc.), atmosphere, oceans, freshwater systems

2. Recent trends and indicators of planetary health

2. Seminar series

1. Students will follow up on recent news media announcements to trace underlying recent reports/journal articles or search directly from the following suggested sources (or equivalent primary literature repositories) and do individual presentations:

1. OARE: Online Access to Research in the Environment

2. ARDi: Access to Research for Development and Innovation

3. AGORA Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture

4. HINARI: Research in Health and Biomedical Sciences

5. Reports: WWF, UNEP, CITES, IPCC, IFC, national agencies, etc.

6. F1000 Prime

7. ScienceDaily

2. Tutor will select recent seminal works in environmental management from among the following themes, or others that may be more emergent, and conduct discussions with students for critical analysis (representative important papers as of 2014 are indicated):

1. Biodiversity conservation, e.g. “Assemblage time series reveal biodiversity change but not systematic loss”. Dornelas M, Gotelli NJ, McGill B, Shimadzu H, Moyes F, Sievers C, Magurran AE. Science. 2014 Apr 18; 344(6181):296-9.

2. Pollution, e.g. “The changing paradigm of air pollution monitoring”. Snyder EG, Watkins TH, Solomon PA, Thoma ED, Williams RW, Hagler GSW, Shelow D, Hindin DA, Kilaru VJ, Preuss PW. Environ Sci Technol Lett. 2013; 47(20):11369-11377.

3. Waste management, e.g. “Wasteaware benchmark indicators for integrated sustainable waste management in cities”. Wilson DC, Rodic L, Cowing MJ, Velis CA, Whiteman AD, Scheinberg A, Vilches R, Masterson D, Stretz J, Oelz B. Waste Management. 2015; 35:329-342.

4. Environmental economics, e.g. “Social equity matters in payments for ecosystem services”. Pascual U, Phelps J, Garmendia E, Brown K, Corbera E, Martin A, Gomez-Baggethun E, Muradian R. Bioscience. 2014 Nov; 64(11):1027-36.

5. Agriculture and the environment, e.g. “Rising temperatures reduce global wheat production”. Asseng S, et al. Nature Climate Change, 2014

6. Forestry and land management, e.g. “Long-Term Increase in Aboveground Carbon Stocks Following Exclusion of Grazers and Forest Establishment in an Alpine Ecosystem”. Speed JDM, Martinsen V, Mysterud A, Mulder J, Holand Ø, Austrheim G. Ecosystems. 2014 Nov; 17(7):1138-50.

7. Impacts of urban developments, e.g. “Quantifying human impacts on rates of erosion and sediment transport at a landscape scale”. L. Reusser, P. Bierman, D. Rood. Geology, 2015 Jan 7.

8. Sustainable natural resource management, e.g. “China's aquaculture and the world's wild fisheries”. L. Cao, R. Naylor, P. Henriksson, D. Leadbitter, M. Metian, M. Troell, W. Zhang. Science, 2015; 347 (6218):133.

9. Environmental hazards occurrences and solutions, e.g. “The effectiveness of coral reefs for coastal hazard risk reduction and adaptation”. Ferrario F, Beck MW, Storlazzi CD, Micheli F, Shepard CC, Airoldi L. Nat Commun. 2014; 5:3794.

10. Biotechnology/bioengineering related to the environment, e.g. “Quality attributes of map packaged ready-to-eat baby carrots by using chitosan-based coatings”. I. Leceta, S. Molinaro, P. Guerrero, J.P. Kerry, K. de la Caba. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 2015; 100:142.

11. Restoration ecology, e.g. “Recovery and resilience of tropical forests after disturbance”. Cole LES, Bhagwat SA, Willis KJ. Nat Commun. 2014; 5:3906.

Essential Readings:

1. Barrow, C.J. (2012). Environmental Management for Sustainable Development, 2nd Edition, Routledge, London, New York.

2. Curkovic, S. (2012). Sustainable Development - Authoritative and Leading Edge Content for Environmental Management, Published by InTech, Croatia. (eBook).

3. Miller, G.T., and Spoolman, S.E. (2014). Environmental Science 14th Ed. Cengage Learningm, New Delhi.

4. Quarrie, J. (1992). Earth Summit '92, The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Rio de Janerio., Regency Press, London.

5. Wright, R. T, and Boorse, D.F, (2011). Environmental Science - Towards a Sustainable Future, 11th Edition, PHI Learning Private Limited, New Delhi.

Additional Readings:

1. Berg, L., Hager M., Hassenzahl, D. (2011). Visualizing Environmental Science, 3rd Ed. John Wiley & Sons.

2. International Council for Science. (2002). ICSU Series on Science for Sustainable Development No. 5: Science Education and Capacity Building for Sustainable Development. Paris: ICSU.

3. Kasemir, B., Jäger, J., Jaeger, C. C & Gardner, M. T. (2003). Public Participation in Sustainability Science: A Handbook. Cambridge University Press.UK. New York

4. National Environment Commission Secretariat. (2008). Bhutan Environment Outlook. National Environment Commission, RGOB. Retrieved from http://www.nec.gov.bt/nec1/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Bhutan-Environment-Outlook-2008.pdf

5. National Environmental Commission. (1998). The Middle Path: National Strategy for Bhutan. National Environmental Commission. RGoB.

6. Schmandt, J & Ward, C. H. (2000). Sustainable Development: The Challenge of Transition. Cambridge University Press, UK.

7. World Business Council for Sustainable Development. (2009). Water Facts and Trends. http://www.unwater.org/downloads/Water_facts_and_trends.pdf

Date last updated: May 30, 2015