Environmental Studies

There are more than 750 million people living on islands, from the densely populated urban centers of the Philippines and Hawaii’s to the atolls and archipelagos of the Caribbean, Asia-Pacific, and Indian Ocean. Climate change is a global challenge that requires locally designed interventions and action. Islands are at the front line of the effects of climate change. Key challenges: rising temperature and sea levels, lack of fresh water supply, plastic pollution, sewage blockages, high number of tourists in season time, and dependence on fossil fuels imports and high prices. This course provides an understanding of the relationships between human needs and resource use under different climatic scenarios with focus on islands. Students draw on practical case studies, analyze possible solutions, and explore ways to inform decision-makers and the general public.

This course focuses on the ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes that drive biotic and abiotic interactions at population and community levels. A major focus of the course is to use ecological theory to understand basic and applied questions in plant ecology with relevance to global sustainability objectives. It covers the basic principles in plant population and community ecology that will help to address the challenges for plant population ecology (demography, population dynamics, dispersal), biotic interactions (plant-plant, plant-microbe, and plant-herbivore interactions and their impacts on plant populations, communities, and co-evolution), evolutionary ecology (life history, local adaptation, population, and ecological genetics), and plant community ecology (community structure, succession, species diversity). The course also explores the importance of basic plant ecology for addressing current global agri-environmental and sustainability challenges (zero hunger, life on land, responsible consumption and production, climate action) through lectures and seminars, student- and teacher-led classroom discussion, literature criticism, and project work. Case studies include plant invasions, pest management, plant ecology and evolution in human-influenced environments, plant diversity, big data, and citizen science for plant ecology.

The course provides a theoretical foundation in the development of green and sustainable solutions within the economic context of Germany and Europe and develops an understanding of how sustainable entrepreneurship is unfolding creative potential and opportunities for environmental improvements using core business activities. The course equips students with more practical tools and processes for developing their own business ideas for the green economy. This course provides an introduction to recent developments in Germany and the European Union (EU) with regard to a green and sustainable economy. This course begins by exploring key concepts for a green and sustainable economy in the German and European policy contexts and then looks at the development that has taken place both at the political level and in the economy in recent time. It then focuses on the micro-level of the businesses themselves and discusses the motivating forces behind entrepreneurs' and businesses' decisions to make a strategic commitment to environmental sustainability. Students consider the roles and strategies of different types of companies and how incumbents and start-ups engage in environmental protection. The course also looks at the strong connection between politics and business in the European context and the inclination of many sustainable entrepreneurs to engage in policy making in a manner that also turns them into “institutional” entrepreneurs, acting at a meso-level. Finally, the more theoretical part of the course looks at how sustainable entrepreneurs may encounter market and regulatory barriers related to environmental externalities, path dependencies, and lobbying activities by incumbent companies. It also looks at (partial) solutions to such barriers provided by incubators, business competitions, universities, investors, and public funding programs. The more practical part of the course engages with good practice examples through the entrepreneurs themselves (guest speakers) and by going on a field-trip. As Berlin has a special reputation for hosting a vibrant start-up scene, students visit the Green Garage on the Euref campus in Schöneberg, where they learn more about the acceleration and incubation processes of the EU initiative “Climate KIC”, and meet the start-ups based there. The students also are encouraged to creatively develop their own business ideas and plan the initial steps using the Sustainable Business Canvas. Their business concept/model is then presented and discussed in the group, providing tips for future improvement and possible realization of the ideas.