E0320 Sustainable development - the biggest challenge today?

Faculty of Science
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
RNDr. Mgr. Michal Bittner, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Lenka Suchánková (alternate examiner)
Guaranteed by
prof. Martin Scheringer, Dr. sc. nat.
RECETOX – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: RNDr. Mgr. Michal Bittner, Ph.D.
Supplier department: RECETOX – Faculty of Science
Timetable
Thu 8:00–9:50 B11/205
Prerequisites (in Czech)
!NOWANY( E0320 Sustainable Development , CORE003 Sustainable Development ) || ! CORE003 Sustainable Development
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to introduce the multidimensional aspects of the impact of human society on the natural environment. Another aim is to present the potentials and limits of possible solutions. Multidimensionality of the environmental issues and possible solutions lies in the social, ethical, philosophical, economic, technic, and legal aspects of the relationship between humans and the natural environment. All these multidimensional aspects of sustainable development will be discussed.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- defend the meaning and importance of the concept of sustainable development in the present world;
- explain how the progression of environmental issues corresponds with apparently unrelated disciplines such as the economy, technology, ethics, etc.;
- propose possible solutions of contemporary environmental issues on various levels - from personal to the international level;
- analyze pros and cons of possible solutions;
- assess contemporary approaches to solving the national and international environmental issues;
- interpret and debate results of up to now successful and unsuccessful solutions to environmental issues.
Syllabus
  • 1. Social challenges. Socio-demographic context of social development - characteristics of population growth, demographic transition, lack/excess of food, famine as a political instrument, disease, income and gender inequality, education and emancipation of women. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs 2000-2015).
  • 2. Life in Anthropocene, Planetary Boundaries as a defined area for the development of human society. Global Environmental Challenges.
  • 3. Global climate change - historical background, physical basics, anthropogenic causes and observed consequences, proposed solutions (Mitigation vs. Adaptation). Ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity (species vs. functional).
  • 4. Loss of stratospheric ozone - historical background, physical basics, anthropogenic causes, and lessons learned from a successful solution to this global problem. Global nitrogen and phosphorus cycle, water consumption, change of land use.
  • 5. Ecological determination of human relationship - environmental stability, growth strategy vs. carrying capacity of the environment, ecosystem services. Phylogenetic and psychological roots of the environmental crisis. Social manifestations of environmental crisis - frustration, migration of people, violence, etc.).
  • 6. History of sustainable development concept as a response to the negative consequences of industrial development. Significant documents in the field of sustainable development: Global (Our Common Future, 1987, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Agenda 21, 1992, etc.), European (Europe 2020), and National (the Czech Republic 2030). Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, 2015-2030).
  • 7. Food production - Environmental, economic and social context of industrial (conventional), sustainable and organic farming. Food safety vs. Loss of biodiversity.
  • 8. Energy Production - Environmental, Economic, and Social Context of different types of energy production. Energy Trilema - Requirement of cheap, reliable, and clean energy. Non-renewable and renewable energy sources.
  • 9. Environmental ethics - human and environmental relationship from values. World of values ​​and world of facts, good, evil, logic of ethical argumentation. Anthropocentric and biocentric types of ethics. Reverence for life ethics (A. Schweizer), Land ethics (A. Leopold), Extended Rights ethics (P. Singer, R. Nash), Deep Ecology (A. Naess).
  • 10. Environmental economics as a tool to achieve a company's prosperity in environmental limits. Public goods issues, environmental valuation, internalization of externalities, economic instruments of environmental protection policies.
  • 11. Precautionary principle - characterization of its key role in sustainable development, case studies of consequences or application or misuse of this principle (cholera, asbestos, diethylstilbestrol, anabolics in agricultural production).
  • 12. Sustainable production and consumption, environmental policy instruments in the Czech Republic, Rule 4R (Reduce, Reuse, Recover, Recycle). Limits of technological solutions to environmental issues.
  • 13. Value-based solutions to the environmental crisis - socio-psychological context of sustainable development; Lifestyles - voluntary simplicity, postmaterialism.1. Social challenges. Socio-demographic context of social development - characteristics of population growth, demographic transition, lack/excess of food, famine as a political instrument, disease, income and gender inequality, education and emancipation of women. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs 2000-2015).
  • 2. Life in Anthropocene, Planetary Boundaries as a defined area for the development of human society. Global Environmental Challenges.
  • 3. Global climate change - historical background, physical basics, anthropogenic causes and observed consequences, proposed solutions (Mitigation vs. Adaptation). Ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity (species vs. functional).
  • 4. Loss of stratospheric ozone - historical background, physical basics, anthropogenic causes, and lessons learned from a successful solution to this global problem. Global nitrogen and phosphorus cycle, water consumption, change of land use.
  • 5. Ecological determination of human relationship - environmental stability, growth strategy vs. carrying capacity of the environment, ecosystem services. Phylogenetic and psychological roots of the environmental crisis. Social manifestations of environmental crisis - frustration, migration of people, violence, etc.).
  • 6. History of sustainable development concept as a response to the negative consequences of industrial development. Significant documents in the field of sustainable development: Global (Our Common Future, 1987, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Agenda 21, 1992, etc.), European (Europe 2020), and National (the Czech Republic 2030). Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, 2015-2030).
  • 7. Food production - Environmental, economic and social context of industrial (conventional), sustainable and organic farming. Food safety vs. Loss of biodiversity.
  • 8. Energy Production - Environmental, Economic, and Social Context of different types of energy production. Energy Trilema - Requirement of cheap, reliable, and clean energy. Non-renewable and renewable energy sources.
  • 9. Environmental ethics - human and environmental relationship from values. World of values ​​and world of facts, good, evil, logic of ethical argumentation. Anthropocentric and biocentric types of ethics. Reverence for life ethics (A. Schweizer), Land ethics (A. Leopold), Extended Rights ethics (P. Singer, R. Nash), Deep Ecology (A. Naess).
  • 10. Environmental economics as a tool to achieve a company's prosperity in environmental limits. Public goods issues, environmental valuation, internalization of externalities, economic instruments of environmental protection policies.
  • 11. Precautionary principle - characterization of its key role in sustainable development, case studies of consequences or application or misuse of this principle (cholera, asbestos, diethylstilbestrol, anabolics in agricultural production).
  • 12. Sustainable production and consumption, environmental policy instruments in the Czech Republic, Rule 4R (Reduce, Reuse, Recover, Recycle). Limits of technological solutions to environmental issues.
  • 13. Value-based solutions to the environmental crisis - socio-psychological context of sustainable development; Lifestyles - voluntary simplicity, postmaterialism.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • BITTNER, Michal. Úvod do udržitelného rozvoje: souvislosti environmentálního pilíře. 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2013, 250 pp. Edice RECETOX. ISBN 978-80-210-6622-9. info
    not specified
  • ROCKSTRÖM, J., STEFFEN, W. et al. A safe operating space for humanity. Nature, 461(7263), 472–475. 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/461472a
  • MOLDAN, Bedřich. Podmaněná planeta. Druhé, rozšířené a upra. Praha: Karolinum, 2015, 511 stran. ISBN 9788024629995. info
  • BINKA, Bohuslav. Environmentální etika. 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2008, 157 s. ISBN 9788021045941. info
  • DIAMOND, Jared M. Kolaps : proč společnosti zanikají a přežívají. Translated by Zdeněk Urban. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2008, 751 s. ISBN 9788020015891. info
  • HOMER-DIXON, Thomas F. The upside of down : catastrophe, creativity and the renewal of civilisation. London: Souvenir Press, 2007, ix, 429. ISBN 9780285637948. info
  • MEADOWS, Donella H. and Dennis L. MEADOWS. Limits to growth : the 30-year update. Edited by Jørgen Randers. London: Earthscan, 2005, xxii, 338. ISBN 1844071448. info
  • LIBROVÁ, Hana. Vlažní a váhaví (Kapitoly o ekologickém luxusu) (The Half-hearted and the Hesitant: Chapters on Ecological Luxury). 1st ed. Brno: Doplněk, 2003, 320 pp. Společensko-ekologická edice, svazek 8. ISBN 8072391496. info
  • KOHÁK, Erazim. Zelená svatozář : kapitoly z ekologické etiky. Vyd. 1. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 1998, 203 s. ISBN 80-85850-63-X. info
  • SCHWEITZER, Albert. Albert Schweitzer - zastánce kritického myšlení a úcty k životu. Edited by Otakar Antoň Funda - Petr Pokorný, Translated by Jaroslav Kohout. Vyd. 1. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1989, 308 s. ISBN 8070210109. URL info
Teaching methods
Teaching takes the form of interactive lectures in MS Teams using presentations in MS PowerPoint. Students are often asked about their opinions or their own experience, they can then answer either directly or through online chat in Polleryywhere. Graphic materials, videos or interactive data and trend display tools (Gapminder, Our world in data, etc.) are widely used in teaching.
In teaching, emphasis is mainly on understanding the context. To increase the attentive and active involvement, a substance from the previous week is repeated at the beginning of each hour, in the form of a competitive online quiz in Pollerywhere. In case of interested students, a voluntary discussion online seminar can also be opened for this subject.
Assessment methods
Participation in lectures is voluntary, but it is strongly recommended because of the logical continuity of individual topics. At the beginning of each lecture, the most successful investigators of the competition online quiz can get 2 premium points in the overall assessment. The final examination is a written test with a combination of "Multiple Choice" and "Open Book" issues with a possible profit of 100 points. At least 50 points must be achieved for successful completion of the course.
For successful completion of the course, participation in lectures and knowledge of information from PowerPoint presentations and relevant teacher comments is sufficient. I recommend the literature listed above for extending knowledge to discussed topics.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
Teacher's information
For foreign students, I recommend the analogous course "E0321 Sustainable Development" taught in the spring semester in English.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/autumn2023/E0320