Role within programme and connections to other courses. With the population of the planet increasing and the natural resources decreasing, it is more important than ever to understand the manner in which those resources can and are being used as well as the environmental impacts of those uses. In addition, part of understanding those impacts is understanding how measurements of impacts are made. By focussing on applications of physics to environmental matters, this course contributes to the synthesis of concepts and models learned in other courses. Content. The main focus of the course is on matters related to energy, its production, extraction, distribution and use. Topics include hydroelectricity, solar power, nuclear power, fossil fuels, etc.