ABOUT THE COURSE
Sustainable environmental management is one of the dominant economic, environmental and social issues of the 21st century. This course will develop the concepts of sustainable environmental management on the basis that it is an evolutionary process, not easily captured by a simple definition. Sustainable environmental management integrates ideas from the biological
sciences, social sciences and engineering. Online readings will provide the background and material (articles, papers, podcasts, video, etc) to examine controversial topics like climate change, natural gas drilling, renewable energy, and others.
In addition to introducing relevant concepts and frameworks, the course illustrates application of these ideas and frameworks to current environmental challenges, ranging from water management to urban design. The course also introduces practical environmental management tools, including communication tools, and analyses challenges of environmental behaviour change. COURSE
OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
• To gain an understanding of the various definitions of sustainability
• To practice personal sustainability for the duration of the course
• To undertake critical thinking on a variety of local/global, short/long term, and
• small and large case studies, all of which have sustainability issues at their core
• The big picture of challenges facing environmental management and sustainability, and
• ways of seeing these challenges
• The main aspects of environmental governance and management
• How to improve environmental outcomes, including through behaviour change.
TARGET PARTICIPANTS
This course is suitable to a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:
• Professionals in management environment
• Officers who have responsibility sustainability of environment
• Middle and senior level officers in ministry of environment
COURSE CONTENT
Module 1:
1 The big picture
1.1 The history of environmental issues and politics; the history of environmental politics; the big current environmental challenges
1.2 The big picture: sustainability and well-being Sustainability, well-being, choice, health,
development, and happiness
1.3 The big picture: economic and technological drivers, Economic growth, trade and globalisation; technology and its role
Module 2:
Ways of seeing the environmental challenge
2.1 Disciplines and systems thinking
The environment and resources, disciplines of environmental management, interdisciplinarity;
systems thinking, scale, emergence; resilience
2.2 Ethics, values, art
Different world views: Muslim, Christian, Traditional Religion and others
perspectives; values as influences on environmental behaviour; environmental citizenship (incl. education for sustainability, art
2.3 Science, risk and uncertainty
Science and objectivity; Risk, uncertainty, ignorance; decision making under uncertainty; precautionary principle
Ways of seeing the environmental challenge
2.1 Disciplines and systems thinking
The environment and resources; disciplines of environmental management, interdisciplinarity;
systems thinking, scale, emergence; resilience
2.4 Ways of seeing: the Individual and environmental change
Understanding individual pro or anti-environmental behaviour
Module 3:
Environmental management in practice:
3.1 Environmental governance in context; co¬management; adaptive governance institutions, implications of social- ecological systems theory, etc.
3.2 Issues, instruments and practice in Nigeria
3.3 Environmental management in practice in Nigeria: case studies – growth and progress; and water
3.4 Environmental management in practice in USA, Uk, UAE: case studies – cities, energy and transport
Module 4:
Conclusion
Improving environmental outcomes:
the potential for change Reshaping govt institutions; better integrating the environment into the thinking of agencies of govt; capacity building; building a wider constituency; international networking.