Environmental Studies

The course includes international hybrid workshops by lecturers of all partner countries on technologies and background information necessary to develop sustainable community-based projects. Topics include intercultural communication, PV training, CO2compensation, household biogas plants, clean cooking, biogas, social business; international student hybrid working groups developing CO2compensation projects for climate and SDGs tackling the needs of the local partner communities together with the partner NGOs; practical Service elements contributing to the success of the project for the partner community and to the climate action (including, e.g., training sessions in schools, fundraising events, activities in waste management, organic gardening, tree planting); and research and innovation opportunities to deepen the development and application of sustainable technologies and methodologies.

This is a special studies course involving an internship with a corporate, public, governmental, or private organization, arranged with the Study Center Director or Liaison Officer. Specific internships vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. A substantial paper or series of reports is required. Units vary depending on the contact hours and method of assessment. The internship may be taken during one or more terms but the units cannot exceed a total of 12.0 for the year.

This course examines the atmosphere, weather and climate. It covers atmospheric processes as the driving forces of weather and climate, weather systems and world climates and their classification. Illustration of weather elements and the related fundamental physical principles, as well as their applications in studying weather and climate, will be emphasized. Major concepts and principles of meteorology and climatology constitute the core of this course. Weather systems and climate will be examined from a global perspective, yet with a regional focus on Hong Kong, mainland China and East Asia.

This course examines the intersection between energy consumption and human/corporate/economic activities. It looks at how energy is utilized; what factors are affecting energy consumption in intensity and in total; and how human behavior could be changed for energy conservation and pollution control. 

This course uses the March 2023 Berlin climate referendum as a starting point for an analysis of German energy policy and (geo)politics. It assesses the influence of (geo)political, technological, environmental and other social factors on the development of the German energy mix since the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951. The class traces the rise and fall of nuclear power before and after German reunification; the consequences of the oil shock and the persistence of oil despite the emergence of biofuels; the construction of natural gas pipelines, including Nord Stream; and the marked divergence of solar and wind capacity in the north and south of the country. Questions include: Should the German federal government have responded to widespread anti-nuclear sentiment by phasing out nuclear power ahead of coal? Are biofuels a sustainable substitute for oil? And is the shift to renewable energy in Berlin constrained by the technology or, as supporters of the climate referendum claimed, by a lack of political will?

This course primarily focuses on the ocean's role in the global biogeochemical cycling of elements, with special attention given to the impact of human activities on the transport of these elements within these cycles. The course begins by covering basic ocean chemistry, followed by an exploration of the concept of global geochemical cycles based on water/rock interactions. The discussion then delves into nutrient and trace metal cycling, emphasizing redox reactions and the biologically mediated oxidation of organic matter. Steady-state models will be employed to explain the global distribution of these components in the oceans. 
 
In addition, the course examines the role of sediment in shaping ocean chemical composition, considering both equilibrium and kinetic perspectives and touches upon marine chemistry related to radioactive and stable isotopes. 
 

This course aims to provide young marine scientists with a foundation in the fundamental concepts of ocean chemistry, while offering a global perspective on the subject. There are no prerequisites for enrollment, but a background in basic chemistry (e.g., Chemistry 101) is preferred.   

This course examines geographical information systems (GIS) using basic statistical methods and spatial analysis. It focus on various spatial analysis and modelling techniquesﾠand geo-visualization for applications relating to the natural and built environments and human activities.

This course explores changes to our global environment in the Anthropocene and practices used to solve these impacts. It poses questions of current sustainability and global system failure, such as can we design a society and economy that is sustainable, democratic, and prosperous? This course uses a broad interdisciplinary approach to build understanding of central issues of sustainability. Students critically examine sustainability through the lens of culture and societal change, political conflict, ecological economics, global environmental issues, globalization and development and ecological design.