Environmental Studies

This course broadly covers issues relating to the impact of human activity on air, water and soil environments. It covers the causes and effects of pollution, challenges to remediation, and suggests courses of action for reducing human impact. In addition to formal lectures, the course will include guest lectures, special projects, debates and advocacy efforts to improve the environment.

This course begins with an overview of the science of climate change and its historical/projected impacts on environmental, social, and economic systems. Then, mitigation and adaptation policy options that are available to Canada and other countries will be investigated. Particular issues that may be addressed include the role that humans play in creating climate change, the uncertainty involved in making future climate change projections, and municipal plans to adapt to climate change.

This course focuses attention on the implementation of environmental problem solving techniques. Students will learn many practical methods for assessing problems and justifying solutions. These may include such activities as preparing media pieces and briefing notes to government officials, setting up environmental impact assessments and audits, testing for water/soil/air contamination, and surveying the public/industry on various issues. Throughout these activities, students will be required to critically examine the social, political, philosophical, economic, and ecological outcomes of their activities.

Most environmental issues have many sides including scientific, social, political, and economic, and comprise multiple players and stakeholders promoting divergent points of view. This course is designed to explore these elements in detail. Current national, regional and local problems will be brought to the class by a number of guest speakers in order to help students critically analyze the roots of the problems and possible solutions. The problems discussed will include such issues as environmental scope, biodiversity decline, climate changes, air and water quality, population and consumption per capita, biotechnology and genetically altered foods. 

Presents students with a wide array of tools used to assess and manage activities  that impact the environment. Tools considered may include environmental indicator measurement, environmental risk assessment, life-cycle assessment, environmental management systems, sustainable forest management certification, and others. Presentations will be given by faculty members, students, and working professionals that demonstrate the use of these environmental management tools and identify issues associated with them. Credit cannot be obtained for both ENVS 5003 and ENVS 6003.