SUSTAINABILITY 3: SUSTAINABILITY AND THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY

The course plans to provide a wide, multi-perspective understanding about the concept of sustainability and what the term means in the current environmental context. The pressing deterioration of ecosystems and climate change, causing social and economic distress, is connected to the excessive use of fossil resources and generation of waste, that, on the other hand, allowed the development of modern societies and the improvement of living standards. The delicate interconnections along the cause-effect chains have to be carefully acknowledged and analyzed by means of feasible methods and appropriate indicators, in order to gain a multi-criteria, holistic point of view.

1. Knowledge and understanding
1.1. Acquiring the notions and the different enunciations of the concepts of sustainability, efficiency, circular economy
1.2. Understanding the pros and cons of different policies and strategies
1.3. Understanding the meaning of different indicators
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
2.1. ability to calculate and apply environmental and socio-economic indicators and to understand and analyze results
3. Judgement skills
3.1. ability to critically evaluate the results of sustainability assessments within scientific literature
3.2. ability to analyze a system and perform a sustainability assessment

No particular requisites are needed to successfully participate in the discussion and the work of the course. A general knowledge of systems and of cause-effect relationships between human activities and the environment is adequate.

Climate change and sustainability, efficiency, circular economy, indicators, strategies and pathways, case studies, assessment methods, use of assessments softwares

Various sources will be made available to students during the course in the form of articles, books and notes

The students will work on the assessment of a case study, which will be presented by students and evaluated.

Frontal lessons, debate with students, critical analysis of scientific works, development of a case study

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Climate change and energy" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development