Environmental Studies

The course provides the key economic concepts and tools for analyzing environmental and urban issues; introduces and explains the application of economic methods to the analysis of the built and natural environments; presents the ways in which sound economic analysis is critical to urban and environmental policy making; and encourages critical debate and reflection on the key environmental and urban policy issues. 

The technical aspects of environmental issues in Egypt are examined taking into account the cultural, social, and political dimensions upsetting the balance of the environment. Major issues such as water scarcity, global warming, desertification, urban pollution, tourism, and demographic pressures are presented and analyzed.

The course focuses on various land use and system dynamic topics to guide class discussions in the weekly seminar meetings. Lectures are watched outside of scheduled meeting times to maximize time for discussion and expansion of ideas in class. The topic focuses include the following: global urbanization dynamics, global land use and change, urbanization, global land take of urbanization, urban expansion, urbanization in regards to climate change, urban climate change economics (including subtopics of buildings emissions and urban heat), as well as urban transport. 

This course examines the nature, formation, and classification of soils, their physical, chemical, mineralogical, and biological properties, and issues of soil quality, land degradation and sustainable management. It also encompasses the properties, genesis, and distribution of the soils of New Zealand and their use.

This course focuses on disaster risk as the key element of international environmental studies and elaborates with case studies on disaster risk reduction frameworks, climate change adaptation and sustainable development. Examples from developing countries in Asia are presented. 

This course explores how sustainability and social justice have evolved from isolated considerations to interrelated frameworks that jointly influence policy decisions. Discussions focus on understanding sustainable development through the diverse worldviews of local communities, businesses, and governments in emerging markets. The course not only examines sustainability from ecological and economic perspectives but also incorporates ethical and social considerations, particularly issues of intergenerational fairness and justice. The course specifically discusses and contrasts the concept of sustainability for social justice within the operations of both local and multinational corporations in emerging markets. It frames these discussions in the context of the unintended impacts that business investments can have on biodiversity, human rights, and global value chains. Special attention is given to the challenges businesses face in mitigating and adapting to climate change within their operations. The course provides the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the intricacies of sustainability, with a special emphasis on human rights, biodiversity, and global value chains in emerging markets. Supported by academic theory and real-world case studies, the course adopts a holistic, social-sciences perspective on current sustainability concepts. This comprehensive approach facilitates the design and evaluation of governmental and corporate policies and practices to contribute to a more equitable and sustainable future.

This course examines critical social science research in Aotearoa New Zealand. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach spanning Indigenous and Feminist studies, political science and sociology, and is organized around the case study of climate change.

This course examines how Māori, Pacific and Indigenous communities respond, adapt and mitigate the challenges presented by climate change drawing on indigenous theoretical approaches and relationships with land, oceans, culture, resources, development and political frameworks within settler-colonial states and Pacific nations and others.

This course studies future-defining themes such as Food, Water, Energy, Engineering, and Health both from an academic and real-life perspective. While learning about contemporary efforts and policies to address climate change, inequality, and globalization, the course also explores what these phenomena really entail and how they can be addressed through thinking and actions. The course discusses the thoughts of our greatest philosophers as well as site visits, interviews with leading policymakers, entrepreneurs, and scientists, and an exploration of real life. Understanding the essence of entrepreneurship in the realm of globally interconnected markets, production, and supply chains is a continuous thread throughout the course. Seeking to understand human behavior through the lens of consumption and lifestyles, key elements of positive psychology are studied. 

This course examines environmental hazards and disasters, with a particular focus on flooding and coastal hazards and the related impacts on human communities. Examples will be drawn from New Zealand, which will include a consideration of Maori experiences of and responses to disasters, and from overseas.