Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues
Get an introduction to the key issues in sustainability
In this course you will study the conceptual foundations of sustainable development, and discuss the issues around sustainability as a complex problem.
We’ll look at the flow of energy and materials worldwide; social and political issues; wealth inequality; the impact of geography, history and culture on sustainability today; and the problems of collective action. Finally, we’ll conduct a SWOT analysis, looking at our resilience and prospects in the face of climate change and other global issues in sustainability. We’ll ask: are we doomed?
What topics will you cover?
- Week 1: Sustainable development and complexity
- Week 2: The economy and ecology as a metabolic system
- Week 3: Economic growth and inequality
- Week 4: The importance of geography, history and culture and the impact of human activity on the environment
- Week 5: The problem of collective action
- Week 6: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
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