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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2014/2015
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Postgraduate Courses (School of GeoSciences)

Postgraduate Course: Principles of Environmental Sustainability (PGGE11060)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe course is designed to identify and explore the principles that can be considered to form the core of sustainable development, and to investigate the extent of the environmental issues currently faced by society. It also aims to examine the underlying driving forces for environmental change, in terms of population growth, technological change, market economics and consumption patterns. The course encourages a strongly interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of sustainable development and seeks to foster critical thinking and debate.
Course description 1. Introduction. What is sustainable development?
In the first class the objectives, structure and approach of the course are outlined. We begin by briefly reviewing the rise of environmental concern since 1950. Some core principles of sustainable development are introduced, with an account of how they were elaborated through international policy processes.
[To prepare for the class discussion, please read the document at:
http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/~sallen/pes/definitions_of_SD_2014.pdf]

2. Conflicting worldviews of environment and development
We examine debates surrounding sustainable development, and consider what underlies them. Disagreement can often be traced back to differing worldviews, particularly regarding forms of development and understandings of how nature works.
[The coursework essay topics will be introduced and discussed.]

3. Sustainability indicators and the integration principle
We consider the need to integrate decision-making in environmental, economic and social spheres to make development more sustainable. Integrated policy making requires information to monitor the state of society, economy and environment ¿ we examine various ¿sustainability indicators¿ that have been designed for this purpose.

4. Environmental limits and the sustainability principle
We examine whether there are environmental limits to the scale of the human economy. What evidence is there that limits are being approached and where do they lie? James Lovelock¿s Gaia hypothesis is introduced as way of understanding how humanity depends upon the activities of organisms on Earth to maintain stable and habitable conditions. We consider the ¿services¿ provided by biodiversity and the arguments for its protection.

5. Climate change and the precautionary principle
We consider the development and application of the precautionary principle, with a focus on climate change. What are the risks that humanity faces, and what level of precaution should be applied in attempts to manage them? ¿Geo-engineering¿ as a possible technique to ¿fix¿ the climate is examined as a case study.

6. Population, consumption and the equity principle
We examine the interplay between population trends and patterns of consumption in determining humanity¿s impact on the biosphere. Evidence of the scale of current global inequity is reviewed. Why do intra- and inter-generational equity matter to sustainable development and how can they be ensured?

7. The market and the polluter pays principle
In Northern industrialised economies, decisions about the allocation of resources have increasingly been left to market processes, yet these often lead to pollution and over-exploitation of natural resources. We consider how and why the market fails. The ¿polluter pays¿ principle allows some failures to be corrected. We also debate the role of economic growth in sustainable development ¿ is it a requirement or an impediment?

8. Engaging communities and the participation principle
Processes of community participation in decisions that shape people¿s lives are essential to sustainable development. We explore why, focusing on contemporary debates surrounding participation in land use decision-making in the UK and further afield.
[Guest speaker: Jayne Glass, University of the Highlands and Islands, Perth]

9. Envisioning a sustainable future
We consider what a future sustainable society might look like. Will we live much as now, but with electric cars and renewable energy, or will society shift towards more localized and resilient ways of living, with reduced levels of consumption of energy and materials? How will the quality of our lives change? What can we gain and what might we lose? This class is a chance for students to explore possible pathways towards sustainability and their implications.

10. Feedback and exam preparation
An opportunity for students to reflect on the course as a whole and provide feedback. Group discussion will be used to assist in preparation for the examination.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed:
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  50
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 44, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 152 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) The course is assessed by coursework (50%) and examination (50%):

Coursework: 2000-word essay, chosen from several titles (50% of course mark).

Examination: students answer two one-hour essay questions, from a choice of five (each answer is worth 25% of course mark); examination to be held during semester 1 exam period (week 13 or week 14).
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)Principles of Environmental Sustainability2:00
Learning Outcomes
1. Enhanced understanding of the evolution of sustainable development and its contested meanings
2. Appreciation of the core principles of sustainable development
3. Increased capacity for critical assessment of arguments related to sustainability
4. Broader interdisciplinary perspective and greater ability to link different areas of knowledge
5. Wider and deeper engagement with relevant literatures
Reading List
There is no textbook that covers the whole course. A detailed reading list will therefore be provided each week. Wherever possible, readings will be made available to students online, via Learn. The books listed below are relevant to the course, and will be referred to in some of the lectures. Beder (2006) will be referred to most extensively, as Chapters 1 to 6 clearly set out the most important principles of sustainable development. Dresner (2008) considers the evolution and meaning of the idea of sustainable development and therefore provides a solid grounding for the first two sessions of the course. McNeill (2001), Middleton (2013) and Rogers et al. (2007) are general texts covering a range of relevant topics. Hulme (2009), Jackson (2009) and Wilkinson and Pickett (2010) are recent books that have each made significant and distinctive contributions to the sustainable development debate, and should therefore be of interest to students of this course.

References
Beder, S. (2006). Environmental Principles and Policies. An Interdisciplinary Introduction. Earthscan, London. ISBN: 1844074048.
Dresner, S. (2008). The Principles of Sustainability, 2nd Edition. Earthscan, London. ISBN: 9781844074969 [Available online via Searcher].
Hulme, M.M. (2009). Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN: 9780521727327.
Jackson, T. (2009). Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet. Earthscan, London. ISBN: 9781844078943
McNeill, J.R. (2001). Something New Under The Sun: An Environmental History of the World in the 20th Century. W.W. Norton & Company, New York. ISBN: 0393321835.
Middleton, N. (2013). The Global Casino: An Introduction to Environmental Issues, Fifth Edition. Routledge, Abingdon. ISBN: 9781444146622.
Rogers, P.R., Jalal, K.F., and Boyd, J.A. (2007). An Introduction to Sustainable Development. Earthscan, London. ISBN: 9781844075201.
Wilkinson, R.G., and Pickett, K. (2010). The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone. Penguin, London. ISBN: 9780241954294.
Additional Information
Course URL http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/~sallen/pes/
Graduate Attributes and Skills 1. Improved essay writing skills
2. Improved debating skills gained through group discussions
Special Arrangements Anyone wishing to enrol students from outside the School of GeoSciences should make a specific arrangement with the Course Organiser (Simon Allen: simon.allen@ed.ac.uk; tel 0131 650 7215) as there is high demand for this course.
Keywordssustainable development; environmental change; sustainability lifestyles
Contacts
Course organiserDr Simon Allen
Tel: (0131 6)50 7215
Email: simon.allen@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Natasa Honeybone
Tel: (0131 6)50 2572
Email: natasa.honeybone@ed.ac.uk
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