Environmental Studies

Birla Institute Of Technology And Science–Pilani (BITS–Pilani) via Coursera

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Overview

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Master comprehensive environmental knowledge from Earth's ecosystems to sustainable solutions. This course equips you to understand the environmental crisis, analyze biodiversity loss, climate change, and resource depletion, and apply circular economy principles for sustainable development. You'll explore the origin of life on Earth, biogeochemical cycles, ecosystem dynamics, and major biomes. Examine biodiversity conservation strategies, natural resource management, and climate change science including the Paris Agreement. Understand the Anthropocene epoch, planetary boundaries, and UN Sustainable Development Goals that guide global sustainability efforts. Learn practical frameworks including Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment, and circular economy principles. Analyze real-world case studies from pesticide impacts to innovative conservation solutions. This course benefits environmental professionals, sustainability managers, corporate responsibility leaders, policymakers, and anyone committed to addressing environmental challenges. What makes this unique: comprehensive coverage from fundamental ecology to advanced sustainability frameworks, integration of scientific knowledge with practical solutions, and application of planetary boundaries and SDGs to business and policy contexts. Gain expertise to drive environmental impact in your organization and community.

Syllabus

Our Environment

This module covers the origin of life on Earth, the rock cycle, water cycle, phosphorus cycle, nitrogen cycle, and sulfur cycle. It also illustrates various concepts of ecosystems and their interactions with the environment, including the carbon and nitrogen cycles. Additionally, by the end of this module, students will have learned to compare and contrast food chains and food webs.

Ecosystem Concepts

This module entails a comprehensive exploration of ecosystem components and the pathways of energy flow within ecosystems. Key concepts in environmental studies will be summarized, including ecosystem productivity, community interactions, keystone species, ecosystem regulation, carrying capacity, and ecological niches. Students will also examine the dynamics of food chains and food webs, understand the importance of biodiversity, and assess the impact of human activities on ecosystems.

Ecosystems, Biomes and Ecosystem Services

We begin this module by defining a biome and comparing biomes and ecosystems. We then classify different types of biomes which include Temperate Deciduous, Tropical Evergreen Forests, Grasslands, Deserts, Chaparral, Tundra, Taiga, High Mountains, and aquatic biome and their key features.

Biodiversity and Conservation

This module highlights by explaining biodiversity and various methods to measure it. We then describe biogeographical classification and correlating it with world scenario. Further students will be able to identify key mega-diversity nations and hotspots of biodiversity on earth. A comparison on endangered and endemic species will be done. Various methods of biodiversity conservation will be discussed and correlated to special projects for conservation of endangered species in biodiversity.

Natural Resources

This module will provide students with knowledge about natural resources and classify their types which include forest, water, mineral, food, and land. Further, the module will provide a comparison between renewable and non-renewable resources. At the end of this module, students will be able to correlate the effects of the depletion of natural resources on the environment.

Climate Change

Climate change and global warming are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings. Likewise, “climate” and “weather” are often used in the wrong places. In this module, we will study what these terms mean, what “climate change” means, what its consequences are, and how we can best mitigate the problem and/or adapt to the new normal.

Anthropocene and Planetary Boundaries

Human activities have impacted our environment to such an extent that scientists are now debating whether we ought to have a separate epoch! In this module, we learn about the planetary boundaries framework, a set of nine processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the earth system. We appraise the latest updates, key publications, policy and practice applications and news related to this concept.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The SDGs are an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership. In this module, we study each goal and note the status of each goal nation-wise. We evaluate the UN-SDGs for efficacy in the context of the escalating environmental crisis and make suggestions for the emerging global sustainable development paradigm.

The Circular Economy, Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment

The circular economy is an alternative to traditional linear economies, where we take resources, make things, consume them, and throw them away. In a circular economy, products are used again and again, minimizing our use of raw materials and cutting CO2 emissions. Embracing circularity benefits the planet, our economies, and our communities. Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) play a crucial role in sustainable development and informed decision-making. EIAs safeguard communities, ecosystems, and our planet by ensuring responsible development practices. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic methodology used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service throughout its entire life cycle.

Case Studies

In this module, we discuss a few key case studies and mitigation strategies related to the current environmental crisis. Some of these case studies throw light on important environmental concerns and include topics like pesticide toxicity, land subsidence, radiation damage, and garbage islands in the ocean. Others lead the way by illustrating how solutions can sometimes come from unexpected quarters - from elephant tracking drones to indigenous seed saviours, to plastic recycling innovators, … to ordinary people doing their bit. We learn to fix the bugs in our environment by fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making in real-world contexts.