In this course you will study the conceptual foundations of sustainable development, and discuss the issues around sustainability as a complex problem.

We’ll look at the flow of energy and materials worldwide; social and political issues; wealth inequality; the impact of geography, history and culture on sustainability today; and the problems of collective action. Finally, we’ll conduct a SWOT analysis, looking at our resilience and prospects in the face of climate change and other global issues in sustainability. We’ll ask: are we doomed?

The course address as different theme each week:

– Sustainable development and complexity
– The economy and ecology as a metabolic system
– Economic growth and inequality
– The importance of geography, history and culture and the impact of human activity on the environment
– The problem of collective action
– Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats