ENV245 UG 2019 Final 22Jul19 PDF

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Download ENV245 UG 2019 Final 22Jul19 PDF

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ENV245 Global and Regional Sustainability Unit Information and Learning Guide Semester 2, 2019

This information should be read in conjunction with the online learning materials that can be found on your MyUnits page.

Unit coordinators

Dr Jane Chambers Environment and Conservation School of Veterinary & Life Sciences Telephone: (08) 9360 2739 E-mail: [email protected] Dr Catherine Baudains Environment and Conservation School of Veterinary & Life Sciences Telephone: (08) 9360 6393 E-mail: [email protected]

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Contents

Unit information Information about the unit

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Contact details

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How to study this unit

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Resources for the unit

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Study schedule

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Assessment

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Learning guide Introduction

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Week 1

Global and regional sustainability: introduction and overview

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Week 2

Population, Demographic Transition and Sustainability Lifestyles

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Week 3

Waste, Ecological Footprint and Lifecycle Analysis

22

Week 6

Sustainability and Water Resources

23

Week 7

Sustainability of Food and Agriculture

24

Week 8

Climate Change, Cities and Energy

25

Week 10

Global Governance for Sustainability

26

Week 11

Economic Systems and Sustainability

27

Week 12

Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services

28

Week 13

Ecological Restoration

29

Week 14

Global and Regional Sustainability: The Way Forward

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Appendix 1: Creation and Development of Wikis

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© Published by Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, July 2019. This publication is copyright. Except as permitted by the Copyright Act no part of it may in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any other means be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be broadcast or transmitted without the prior written permission of the publisher. This unit was originally written by John Davis and Yvette Pedretti, 2011 Revised by Jane Chambers and Joanna Pearce, 2015 Revised by Jane Chambers and Kate Rodger, 2016 Revised by Jane Chambers and Catherine Baudains, 2017, 2018, 2019

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Information about the unit Welcome to: ENV245 Global and Regional Sustainability

Unit description Exponential population growth, unsustainable and inequitable use of resources, climate change and environmental degradation are the key global environmental challenges of our time. These issues are “wicked problems” that are the culmination of socio-political, economic and environmental interactions. This unit will provide a global and regional perspective on the interconnections between these concerns and the requirement for a transdisciplinary approach to tackle them.

Prerequisites Nil. Co-requisite: Internet access

Aims of the unit This unit aims to help you develop skills to critically interrogate data, examine issues, and integrate concepts and approaches from a range of disciplines and viewpoints in relation to the key questions of sustainability: human population growth, resource use, climate change and the resultant impact on the environment. The structure of this unit: • Highlights some key global challenges to sustainability; • Provides opportunities for you to develop skills in analysing problems, finding and interpreting data and integrating your analysis in a systematic way; • Encourages you to examine how the challenges of sustainability require social, ethical and political responses together with science and technology; and, • Encourages your personal reflection and engagement with sustainability issues. • Provides opportunities to engage with multiple perspectives inherent in sustainability issues and teamwork.

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Learning outcomes for the unit The primary objective of this unit is to examine the many interacting factors that constitute sustainability issues and to understand some of the ways we can move to greater sustainability by actions at scales ranging from local to global. After completing this course you should be able to: • Describe how socio-economic and ecological dimensions interact and the significance of integrated responses to enhance sustainability. • Demonstrate an understanding of the significance of and interaction between global, regional and local scales for sustainability issues. • Critically analyse interconnections between environmental conditions and human values, practices, institutions. • Use these skills and knowledge to suggest and critique practical actions and policies that enhance sustainability. • Engage openly in critical, evidence-based discussion of sustainability challenges and options.

Graduate attributes developed in the unit This unit will contribute to the development of the following Graduate Attributes. • • • • • • • • •

Communication Critical and creative thinking Social interaction Independent and lifelong learning Ethics Social justice Global perspective Interdisciplinarity In-depth knowledge of a field of study

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Contact details Unit Coordinators Internal students please contact Name: Dr Jane Chambers Email: [email protected] Room: 3.040, Physical Science Building (Building 340) Phone: +61 8 9360 2739

External students please contact Name: Dr Catherine Baudains Email: [email protected] Room: 2.051 Environmental Sciences Building (Building 335) Phone: +61 8 9360 6393

Tutor/Lecturer contact details Internal students will be notified who is your tutor in Week 1. The tutor will provide you with their contact details. If you need to speak to your tutor outside of workshops, send them an email outlining your concern and they will get back to you. Any outstanding concerns can be raised with the unit coordinators.

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How to study this unit This Unit is interdisciplinary, so you may need to investigate and understand terminology or disciplines that are outside your main field of study, and may be unfamiliar to you. In your readings, whether provided by the Unit or in your personal research, be aware of the different stakeholders from a variety of disciplines, providing the information. A key skill required in this unit is to evaluate the credibility of references and to ensure that you maintain a balanced perspective. Feedback from students last year suggested there were too many readings. Please be aware that the readings are to help you answer the study questions and elicit greater understanding and perspective. Rather than reading them cover to cover, use the resources critically, to seek the answers to particular questions. This will reduce your time but increase your understanding.

Resources for learning: For each topic covered in this unit there are readings provided to increase your understanding and perspectives of the topics. In addition, we have two key references that we will refer to throughout this unit. These are listed on page 10 of this Unit Guide.

Contact time This unit has one 1 hour lecture and one 1.5 hour internal workshop each week.

Time commitment As this is a 3 credit point unit, we expect you to spend around 10 hours per week for the total weeks of this teaching period (or 150 hours overall) working on this unit.

Attendance requirements This unit has one lecture and one workshop each week. Each internal student needs to register for a workshop (Activity allocation) on ‘MyUnits’ prior to the commencement of the semester. For internal students attendance at workshops is compulsory and is assessed. Each external student needs to participate weekly via the online unit in their team discussion page AND contribute to each topic study question page. A mark of 10% is attributable to your attendance and engagement in these workshops (internal students) or online (external students). In 2019, lectures will be held in the Veterinary Biological Sciences Lecture theatre (Building 250, Room 3.024). https://maps.murdoch.edu.au/location/12503024 Please check room details when signing up for the internal workshops which are held on Thursday and Friday. 8 Murdoch University

Day Wednesday

Time 09:30am – 010:30am

Location Veterinary Biological Sciences Lecture Theatre 250 3.024 https://maps.murdoch.edu.au/location/12503024

Unit changes in response to student feedback Over the past couple of years this ‘Unit Information and Learning Guide’ has been streamlined and simplified and continues to be altered to reflect both changing information relating to this topic and access to lecturers that are experts in their field. Concern over the number of readings has changed our use of the readings to provide source material to answer questions rather than an expectation to read all of them in entirety. The structure of the Unit has also evolved, integrating lectures and assignments to provide a transdisciplinary understanding of “wicked problems” in relation to global and regional sustainability. Assessments are designed to develop key skills: problem solving, your capacity to work in a team and to conduct individual research. Continual assessment has been instigated throughout the semester to improve your time management skills and facilitate regular verbal feedback. The marking guides have been modified to provide better assessment and the mechanisms to assess student engagement now include peer review as well as tutor’s assessment.

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Resources for this unit Initially you will need a copy of this Unit Information & Learning Guide with the Unit readings available as electronic text via the unit website. The following texts are recommended as being helpful:

Key references: •

Brown, L.R. (2009). Plan B 4.0 Mobilizing to Save Civilization (First ed.). New York: W.W. Norton and Co. This book can be downloaded free from URL: http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/books/pb4

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Karr, S., Interlandi, J. and Houtman, A. (2015). Scientific American Environmental Science for a Changing World (2nd ed.). Macmillan Education Press.

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Miller, G.T., (2014) Living in the Environment (18th ed.) Cengage Learning.

Three (3) copies are on Closed Reserve in the Library. External students can request a chapter relevant to their wiki topic to be scanned through the Library and sent to them. The contents pages are provided on the ENV245 website under ‘Key Resources for this unit.

Other references/recommended reading State of the World 2014, Norton & Co, New York. Each year the Worldwatch Institute produces a State of the World report on the global progress toward a sustainable society. It is a valuable current reference on selected issues as well as an overview of major global factors. For each topic a selection of useful links is provided on the LMS. This is by no means comprehensive and should not be the only source of your research. If you find something you think should be added please let us know.

Online resources UN Sustainable Development Goals: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ Take One Step: https://takeonestep.com.au/ Worldwatch Institute: http://www.worldwatch.org International Institute for Sustainable Development: www.iisd.org/ Rocky Mountain Institute: www.rmi.org The Australia Institute: www.tai.org.au STEPS Centre: http://steps-centre.org/engagement/beyond2015/

The following will be provided during the teaching period: • lecture slides • lecture recordings • unit information & learning guide

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Study schedule This lecture & workshop plan is subject to change. Any modifications will be announced on LMS. Week 1

Lecture Date

Activity

Topic

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Lecture

Global & regional sustainability: introduction & overview

Workshop

Introduction to sustainability project

Lecture

Population, demographic transition & sustainable lifestyles

Workshop

Define and narrow scope of wicked problem and choose case studies

Lecture

Creativity for Sustainablility

Workshop

Sustainability Exhibition project development

Lecture

Economic systems and sustainability

Workshop

Assessment 1.1: Definition, status and trends of wicked problem

7/8 2

3

14/8

21/8 4

5 6

4/9 11/9

18/9 8 25/9 9

Lecture

Water Resources

Workshop

Causes and consequences of wicked problem

Lecture

Waste, ecological footprint and lifecycle analysis

Workshop

Assessment 1.2: Causes and consequences of wicked problem

Lecture

Sustainability of Food and agriculture

Workshop

Environmental, social and economic perspectives of the wicked problem

Lecture

Global & Regional Sustainability: indigenous perspectives

Workshop

Assessment 1.3: Environmental, social and economic perspectives of the wicked problem and tradeoffs.

Martin Bruekner

Alexa Taylor

Martin Bruekner

Richard Harper Jane Chambers

Richard Bell

David Palmer

One week non-teaching break

10

Assessment 2: Submission of Creativity Project 9/10

11 16/10 23/10 13

14

Jane Chambers

One week non-teaching break

7

12

Presenter

30/10

Lecture

Climate Change, Cities and Energy

Workshop

Sustainable solutions to the wicked problem

Lecture

Biodiversity and ecosystem services

Workshop

Sustainability Exhibition - Awards Presentation

Whole class

Lecture

Local to Global Governance for Sustainability

Brad Pettit

Workshop

Assessment 1.4: Sustainable solutions to the wicked problem and lessons for a sustainable world.

Lecture

Global and regional sustainability: the way forward

Workshop

Unit review

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Jatin Kala

Belinda Robson

Jane Chambers

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Assessment Assessment for this unit is conducted in accordance with the Assessment Policy. The version applicable for this unit can be found at: http://www.murdoch.edu.au/index/policies/index?Filter=assessment

Schedule of assessment items ENV245 To pass this Unit all students must submit each component of the assessment (although it is not necessary to pass each assessment). Internal students will be assessed on the basis of: Assessment Description item

Value

Due

Assignment 1

Sustainability project: “Wicked problems” – Presentation on key components of Wikis (4 presentations worth 10% each)

40%

Weeks 4, 7, 9 and 13

Participation

Participation and engagement in workshops and lecture tutorials

10%

Weeks 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 11 & 12

Assignment 2

Design and produce an exhibition item + written critical commentary

20%

Friday of week 11

Examination

Closed book

30%

Assessment Period

External students will be assessed on the basis of: Assessment item

Description

Value

Due

Assignment 1

Sustainability project: “Wicked problems” – Posting of key components on Wikis (4 postings worth 10% each)

40%

Weeks 4, 7, 9 and 13

Participation

Participation and engagement via the online unit in team discussion page AND each topic study question page.

10%

Continuous over semester

Assignment 2

Design and produce an exhibition item + written critical commentary

20%

Friday of week 11

Examination

Closed book

30%

Assessment Period

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Assessment details Assignment 1. Wicked Problem Wiki This is a semester long group project where you will choose, define, describe status and trends, causes and consequences, examine economic, social and environmental perspectives and trade-offs in order to develop the best possible solution to the most confronting sustainability issues facing our world. The project will be grounded in the description of case studies at two scales: regional and global to focus on how the issue and solutions may differ at different scales. The integrated assessment approach used in this project has been broken up into four submissions assessed across the semester (see timetable): 1. Definition, status and trends of wicked problem 2. Causes and consequences of wicked problem 3. Environmental, social and economic perspectives and trade-offs 4. Sustainable solutions & lessons for a sustainable world Each of these submissions will incorporate both an overall perspective of the issue, which is then illustrated by specific examples provide by the regional and case studies. This assessment will be presented as an online wiki accessed on the ENV245 website. The project is to be done in groups based on the principle of collective intelligence and the notion that the product of collaborative work is often superior to what can be created by a single individual. Advantages for students include the ability to draft and redraft work collaboratively, with each contributor adding to and modifying the work of others. While it is important skill to be able to work well in teams, we are cognisant that the contributions by individual members may differ and as such you will be marked individually on your tasks. For more information, see the detailed in the ‘Assignment 1: Wicked Problem Wiki’ section on the Unit LMS page where you can access the Assignment Instructions, Wiki Assignment component details for the 4 submissions, Wiki Design Tips and Editing Instructions and the link to the ‘Wiki space’. The following resource provides background information as to the integrated assessment approach. Please note our methodology has been modified from this source. The reference is to put it into perspective of sustainability approaches available. Michigan Sea Grant and Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute. (2009). Tackling Wicked Problems through Integrated Assessment. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. For further information about creating your wiki, please see Appendix 1: Creation and Development of Wikis at the end of this unit guide, and the important information provided on the online unit.

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Internal Students: Internal students will be allocated to a team in the first workshop in Week 1. Groups will choose a sustainability issue in this workshop. The following workshops (as outlined in the timetable above) will provide one development workshop (where ...