Environmental Studies

This course examines aquatic environments from glacial ecosystems to deep-sea ecosystems including where the water that makes up these systems came from, and the broad-scale atmospheric and hydrologic cycles that govern its distribution and movement. It also covers the physical, chemical, hydrological and ecological characteristics and processes of glacial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems.

This course has three main components. First, it discusses a coherent analytical framework for understanding some of the key ideas and issues informing the debate about the environment and about sustainability today. It examines the principles and practices of sustainable development in the context of urban development. More than half of the world's population are already living in cities and by the middle of this century that figure will rise to more than 65 percent. With rapid urbanization, cities face environmental, economic, and social challenges that pose threats to sustainability of urban development. Second, the course investigates the historical conditions for the contemporary debate about sustainability, reviewing the evolution of different approaches towards the environment from the earliest farming societies to present (post-) industrial societies. The course adopts a ‘Big History' approach to see the overall picture, seeking out common themes and patterns that can help to better address the multiplicity of socioeconomic and environmental issues faced today. The third and major part of the course looks at Tuscany and at Florence in particular, on the basis of the fruitful concept of ‘Urban Metabolisms' to focus attention on the interdependence between cities and their environments. Tuscan cities such as Florence and Siena are often considered ideal models of sustainable urban and rural development as well as of landscape preservation. This ‘Under the Tuscan Sun' image of Tuscany is contrasted by an analysis of the more complex historical realities. Students deconstruct these idealized images of the Tuscan space and to rethink the complex relationship between ‘città and contado' (city and countryside) in the Tuscan past and presence. A variety of key thematic issues and sustainability challenges are explored in the context of Tuscan urban environments, including transport, tourism, water, waste, and food issues. A variety of outdoor activities including a daytrip to the Tuscan countryside offers unique opportunities for students to engage with local community.

The central idea of the course is to study the mechanisms and processes that control ecosystem functioning via interactions between organisms, the environment, and human activities. With a focus on quantitative analyses in lectures and exercises, it analyzes systems from the global scale through the ecosystem to the scale of the soil microenvironment in order to understand the background of fundamental services that ecosystems provide. The course analyzes the influence and impact of human activities including different land uses, pollution, and climate change, as well as potential climate change mitigation strategies including bioenergy production.  The course focuses on exercises with quantitative analyses where students learn how to apply the knowledge obtained during the course, such as evaluating various environmental footprints of human activities and assessing the sustainability of climate change mitigation strategies. The course concludes with a course “conference” where students present and discuss the concepts of planetary boundaries and the sustainable use of global resources. The core elements of the course are: the functioning of the Globe and the three spheres (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere); characteristics and differences of the global cycles of major elements (C, N, and P) and their interactions; the triangle of interactions between organisms, processes, and the environment; succession, diversity, and ecosystem functioning and how this affects stability, resistance, and resilience of ecosystems; evaluation of impacts of human activities through the assessment of the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems.

The existence of many species depends on the survival of others. Humans are no exception. In the past 14,000 years, many organisms have left indelible marks and exercised on human history. The roles that individual species play in providing food, unique medical compounds, initiating the rise of civilization, and transforming global demography, are not only critical to our health and survival but also interest scientists and non-scientists alike. This course provides sufficient background of ten selected organisms and discuss their origins, biological changes, their subsequent expansion from their homelands, consequences, and the future of domestication. 

To what extent can climate change be mitigated by improved stewardship of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems? In this course, students examine how conservation, restoration, and improved management of ecosystems can increase carbon storage and/or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. Students evaluate a range of 'natural climate solutions' (NCS) for their feasibility, cost-effectiveness, environmental co-benefits, and climate mitigation potential. Students take an active approach to learning through participation in lectures, small-group discussions and a non-residential field trip.