Environmental Studies

This course consists of practical project work or audit and an evaluation field stay including technologies and background information necessary to develop sustainable community-based projects, e.g. PV training, CO2compensation, household biogas plants, clean cooking, biogas, income generation. International student hybrid working groups develop CO2 compensation projects for climate and SDGs tackling the needs of the local partner communities together with the partner NGOs. The course offers research and innovation opportunities to deepen the development and application of sustainable technologies and methodologies. It also includes cooperation with local community organizations, NGOs, international universities, and other partners.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor.

Climate change is no longer an abstract future threat. Human population is at the center of the climate system. A demographic perspective is hence critical for understanding, on the one hand, the impact of human activities on the global climate, and, on the other hand, the impacts of climate change on human population. Upon successful completing of this course, students have the knowledge and skills to: 1) demonstrate an understanding of how human population contributes to anthropogenic climate change taking into account demographic heterogeneity; 2) demonstrate an understanding of how anthropogenic climate change differentially affects human health, wellbeing and livelihoods; 3) critically evaluate and explain different scientific and statistical evidence employed to study the links between population dynamics and climate change; 4) conduct research through the consultation of academic literature and/or through the collection and analysis of data; 5) work in groups and develop class discussions. The course topics include:

• Introduction to population and climate change interactions
• Climate change and demographic heterogeneity (e.g. age, gender, education, income, locations)
• Population and energy consumption/carbon emissions
• Population, water, and food
• Climate change and health and mortality
• Climate change and family and fertility
• Climate change and migration
• Climate change and future population dynamics
• Date and methods for the study of population and climate change