Environmental Studies

Having considered in Level 1 why the concept of sustainable development (SD) is important and key concerns and areas of debate in understanding meanings of SD, this Level 2 course introduces aspects of how SD might be encouraged and facilitated. This course considers broad conceptual approaches to implementing SD. It includes more traditional frameworks based on governance and regulation ("command and control") as well as examining the role and importance of other approaches, including human security, environmental justice and management as well as community-based solutions and partnerships and conservation science. The course also addresses the extent to which these different approaches are interdependent, and how they can be used together to bring about change for SD.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program and is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its strategic implications in terms of: sustainability of business models; the need for innovative managerial paradigms based on stakeholder engagement and cooperation; measurement of the economic, social, and environmental impact of business activities; life cycle assessment; strategic planning of the United Nations 2030 agenda; and communication and reporting methods. The course focuses on the application of these topics to companies, public administrations, and non-profit organizations. The course is divided into two portions, closely linked and integrated: the institutional portion examines the theoretical and methodological bases of CSR, with specific references to the international framework, documents produced by the OECD, and the relationship with social innovation. The course introduces students to the most up-to-date methodologies in the design and development of corporate CSR and accountability systems. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between CSR management systems, communication, and a company's external relations. The monographic portion of the course focuses on the relationships between corporate CSR, environmental sustainability, and consumer demand for ethical and environmentally friendly products and services. It also highlights new service experiences related to corporate welfare and emerging concepts of local social responsibility. Case studies are presented in relation to companies with significant and innovative experiences of CSR, capable of determining managerial evolutions and organizational improvements in a company's managerial structures and in its relationship with the market. A specific section of the course is dedicated to the relationship between CSR, social and environmental sustainability, and circular economy. The final portion of the course is dedicated to designing corporate and local CSR systems capable of producing effective changes in the external perception and communication of businesses. The aim of projects and experiments is to closely and effectively link social and environmental sustainability in businesses. 

The Introduction to Environmental History is characterized by its depth of time and space. From the Pleistocene of about 2.5 million years ago to 11,000 years ago, the course traces back to Anthropocene from the 18th century to the present. The course not only discusses the evolution of homo sapiens, but also how the interaction between the species and the environment creates the so-called "civilization". There is also discussion on how these "civilized" Homo sapiens descend in the eighteenth century Industrialization, and even the establishment of capitalism, which drastically changed the Earth's environment, so that the current geologists into whether or not to "human world" included in the formal geological age of the debate. In the context of archeology and historical geography, the Introduction to Environmental History invites fellow students to reflect on the past of man as a species, and to think about whether or not we need - or need - a common future in the end.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. Students will know the effects of global climate change on key organisms, biodiversity, and ecosystems, particularly on marine species, including the effects on human societies and economies. Models and forecasts are presented considering different scenarios predicted by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Students will know how organisms interact, as components of the structure and function of ecosystems, including the consequences of human interactions with the environment. Marine organisms are traced from the Earth’s primordial oceans, to their response to the warming and acidifying oceans.

The course content is divided into two modules:

MODULE 1: 

• Conflicts and Security Risks of Climate Change in the Mediterranean Region - Projections and Impacts of Future Climate Change in the Mediterranean; Impact of Climate Change on Water Supply and Water-Related Conflicts; Consequences for Food Security; Population and Migration in the Mediterranean; Human Security, Environmental Conflict and Climate Adaptation; Energy Security as Field of Conflict and Cooperation; Political and Economic Frameworks for Cooperation in the Mediterranean.
• Socioeconomic Aspects: Human Migrations, Tourism and Fisheries - Coastal Commercial Fisheries and Aquaculture; Tourism; Migrations.
• Ecological and evolutionary considerations regarding corals in a rapidly changing environment - Comments on the Evolution of Corals in the Atlantic Versus the Pacific Oceans; Climate Change, Changes in the Oceanic Climatic Zones, and Their Effects; Comments on Evolution of the Immune System in Corals.
• Coral population dynamics - Ecological modes in corals; Why study population biology?; How to model population dynamics?; The introduction of an age-based population dynamics model into coral reef ecology: the Beverton and Holt model; The case study of mushroom corals at Eilat; Correlations between demographic characteristics, environmental parameters, and implications with climate change; Relationships between growth, population structure and sea surface temperature in temperate solitary corals; What about calcification and temperature?; What about non-zoox corals?; Zoox coral versus non-zoox coral; The Panarea underwater crater: a laboratory for the study of ocean acidification and warming effects; The ocean acidification; Calcifiers and ocean acidification; Coral biomineralization and calcification; The Panarea transplant experiment; Long term effects of acidification on growth of corals naturally living along a pH gradient.

MODULE 2:

• Strategies of acclimatization to ocean acidification in Mediterranean corals - The carbon dioxide volcanic vents of Ischia Island; Community shifts at Ischia Island; Impact of ocean acidification on the morphology of non-zooxanthellate corals; The problem of age determination in colonial organisms; Impact of ocean acidification on polyp and colony growth in non-zooxanthellate corals; Different acclimatization strategies to ocean acidification in zooxanthellate vs non-zooxanthellate corals; the impact of ocean acidification on coral-associate microbial ecosystems.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. Students learn the conceptual foundations to understand the interactions between natural and social systems in globally changing urban landscapes (terrestrial, freshwater and marine), and gain analytical basic urban-ecology tools to be applied in urban monitoring, planning, and restoration. The students are introduced to urban areas as novel ecosystems, and learn about the unique ecological conditions and functioning of cities and waterfronts, the environmental challenges and opportunities of a sustainable urban development, and the principles and strategies for biodiversity conservation, restoration and management in a human-modified context. They are introduced to ecosystem services concepts and how to use them in an interdisciplinary analysis. They also learn the direct and indirect effects of human impact with particular attention to freshwater ecosystems as Highly Modified Bodies (WFD 2000/60/CE definition). Students obtain the ability to read and understand articles in the field of urban ecology, sustainability and restoration science, to synthesize and communicate interdisciplinary research, and gain insight on how to identify appropriate solutions for urban planners, policy makers, and managers. Students also get the opportunity to develop a field-work proposal for a restoration project in an highly modified area. Course topics: principles of urban ecology and the concept of novel urban ecosystems; unique (man–made) ecological conditions of urban ecosystems– land (and sea) use cover; urban climate and the heat island effect; changes in the physical environment (soil/sediment properties, hydrological processes and (sea)water characteristics); impacts of pollution, noise, artificial light and electromagnetic fields; patterns of urban biodiversity and controlling factors– impacts of urbanization on biodiversity and changes in biodiversity along urban-rural gradients; losers and winners in urban habitats, homogenization and the susceptibility of urban ecosystems to species invasions; effects of altered disturbance regimes; habitat transformation, fragmentation and loss in urban land/seascapes, altered connectivity, and dispersal barriers and corridors; ecosystem functions and services in urban landscapes- urban biodiversity and ecosystem services; valuing the role of natural ecosystems in flood risk reduction and nature-based adaptation; ecosystem management options to enhance resilience of society and the environment to future climate conditions; principles of sustainable urban development–urban footprint, sustainability, and governance-related challenges in urban environments; natural capital and strategies for biodiversity conservation; indicators of environmental quality in urban environments (e.g. the city biodiversity index, the Ocean health index, etc.); management of multiple stressors and stakeholders; bioengineering, multifunctional blue/green infrastructures; conservation and restoration in an urban context; ecological concept from natural to modified freshwater ecosystems structure and functions, impact of human activities; HMWBs and AWBs (highly modified and artificial water bodies) in the Water Directive WFD (2000/60 EU); reservoirs and dams–impact and benefit; ecosystem services of natural versus modified rivers within sustainable development strategy; the blue imprint of cities and water scarcity; monitoring of HMWBs and AWBs: hydromorphology and biomonitoring; biodiversity conservation in HMWB and AWBs; multifunctional natural infrastructures; Common European implementation strategy on HMWBs; restoration of HMWBs and AWBs; Navile and canals of Bologna: opportunity to develop restoration proposals.