INTRO TO ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
The course provides an overview of environmental law for students without a legal background. It examines U.S. statutes and regulations regarding air, water, hazardous and toxic materials, land use, climate change, endangered species, and the like, as well as international environmental issues. After completing the course students should be equipped to understand how the environmental laws operate, the role of the courts, international treaties and government agencies in implementing environmental protection, and techniques used in addressing these issues.
- MW 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
- 3 points
Introduction to Climate Justice
INTRO TO CLIMATE JUSTICE
Today, it’s impossible to talk about the climate crisis without talking about justice. Thanks to the continued activism of grassroots and frontline community organizers, progressive NGOs, and coalitions of small island states, climate politics are now deeply linked to questions of social justice and equity.
This course introduces students to key topics and issues in climate justice in order to gain a foundational understanding of the field. Themes and topics include: theoretical frameworks of climate justice; climate justice and gender; the justice dimensions of climate adaptation and managed retreat; energy democracy and just transitions; the question of culpability and who should be held responsible for causing global warming; and historical efforts to codify justice considerations at international institutions like the UN.
- T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
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Instructor:
Leah V Aronowsky
Info - 3 points
CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABLE DEV
This course provides an introduction to the field of sustainable development, drawing primarily from social science and policy studies. It offers a critical examination of the concept of sustainable development, showing how factors like economics, population, culture, politics and inequality complicate its goals. Students will learn how different social science disciplines (political science, demography, economics, geography, history, law, and sociology) approach challenges of sustainable development across a variety of topics (fisheries, climate change, air pollution, consumption, energy, conservation, and water management). The course provides students with some of the fundamental concepts, vocabulary, and analytical tools to pursue and think critically about sustainable development. Offered in the Spring.
WORKSHOP IN SUSTAINABLE DEVPT
The upper level undergraduate Sustainable Development Workshop will be modeled on client based graduate-level workshops, but with more time devoted to methods of applied policy analysis and issues in Sustainable Development. The heart of the course is the group project on an issue of sustainable development with a faculty advisor providing guidance and ultimately grading student performance. Students would receive instruction on methodology, group work, communication and the context of policy analysis. Much of the reading in the course would be project-specific and identified by the student research teams. Offered in Fall and Spring. For registration issues contact Cari Shimkus (cshimkus@ei.columbia.edu).
- MW 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
- TR 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
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Instructor:
Jenna M Lawrence
CULPA: 6
Info
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Instructor:
Sharon S Mathews
Info - 4 points
CLIMATE CHANGE AND LAW
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a broad introduction to the field of climate law in the United States and at the international level. The course begins with an overview of the causes and effects of global climate change and the methods available to control and adapt to it. We then examine the negotiation, implementation and current status of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Copenhagen Accord. The focus then turns to the past and proposed actions of the U.S. Congress, the executive branch and the courts, as well as regional, state and municipal efforts. The Clean Air Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act will receive special attention. We evaluate the various legal tools that are available to address climate change, including cap-and-trade schemes; carbon taxation; command-and-control regulation; litigation; securities disclosures; and voluntary action. The roles of energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, carbon capture and sequestration, and forestry and agriculture each receive close attention. Implications for international human rights, international trade, environmental justice, and international and intergenerational equity are discussed. The course concludes with examination of the special challenges posed by China; proposals for adaptation and geoengineering; and business opportunities and the role of lawyers. Offered in the Spring.
- MW 2:50 p.m.-4:10 p.m.
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Instructor:
Michael Gerrard
CULPA: 2 Wikipedia Info - 3 points
GIS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMNT
This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of theoretical concepts underlying GIS systems and to give students a strong set of practical skills to use GIS for sustainable development research. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are a system of computer software, data and analysis methods used to create, store, manage, digital information that allow us to create maps and dynamic models to analyze the physical and social processes of the world. Through a mixture of lectures, readings, focused discussions, and hands-on exercises, students will acquire an understanding of the variety and structure of spatial data and databases, gain knowledge of the principles behind raster and vector based spatial analysis, and learn basic cartographic principles for producing maps that effectively communicate a message. Student will also learn to use newly emerging web based mapping tools such as Google Earth, Google Maps and similar tools to develop on-line interactive maps and graphics. The use of other geospatial technologies such as the Global Positioning System will also be explored in this class. Case studies examined in class will draw examples from a wide ranges of GIS applications developed to assist in the development, implementation and evaluation of sustainable development projects and programs. On completion of the course, students will: 1. use a variety of GIS software programs to create maps and reports; 2. develop a sound knowledge of methods to search, obtain, and evaluate a wide variety of spatial data resources; 3. develop skills needed to determine best practices for managing spatial data resources; 4. use GIS to analyze the economic, social and environmental processes underlying the concept of building a sustainable world; 5. Gain an understanding of the limits of these technologies and make assessments of uncertainty associated with spatial data and spatial analysis models. Offered in the fall and spring.
- R 10:10 a.m.-12:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Linda I Pistolesi
Info - 3 points
Cities & Sustainability
In an increasingly urban world, sustainable development is not possible without achieving sustainability in cities. This course explores the challenges and opportunities of sustainable development policy-making at the urban level through the study of local efforts to address climate change, provide access to clean water, and develop renewable energy resources, among other topics. Students will gain a more detailed understanding of how cities’ histories, land use patterns, and economies influence urban resource use, and how cities have attempted to change those impacts. Using case studies of local sustainability initiatives, students examine how a city’s governance structure, political dynamics, and administrative capacity affect policy outcomes. Consideration of the equity implications of urban sustainability efforts is integral to the course.
- T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
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Instructor:
Deborah Morris
Info - 3 points
SPATIAL ANALYSIS FOR SDEV
This is an intermediate course in spatial modeling developed specifically for students in the Undergraduate Sustainable Development program. This course will provide a foundation for understanding a variety of issues related to spatial analysis and modeling. Students will explore the concepts, tools, and techniques of GIS modeling and review and critique modeling applications used for environmental planning and policy development. The course will also offer students the opportunity to design, build and evaluate their own spatial analysis models. The course will cover both vector and raster based methods of analysis with a strong focus on raster-based modeling. We will draw examples from a wide range of applications in such areas as modeling Land Use and Land Cover for biodiversity and conservation, hydrological modeling, and site suitability modeling. The course will consist of lectures, reading assignments, lab assignments, and a final project.
- W 10:10 a.m.-12:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Kytt J Macmanus
Info - 3 points
BANGLADSH:LIFE-TECT ACTV DELTA
This course will explore the interaction of riverine processes, water and hydrology, sedimentary processes, tectonics, land subsidence and sea level rise, environmental issues, cultural setting, and sustainable development in the world’s largest delta. The course will explore both the hazards and resources for life in this dynamic environment through lectures, a field trip to Bangladesh during Spring Break and guest lecturers in earth and social sciences. During the field trip, we will be joined by Dhaka University professors and students, providing experience in cross-cultural collaboration, as well as translators to interviews and discussions with Bangladeshis.
By the end of the course, students will develop a quantitative understanding of the multiple earth sciences issues. It will also provide a perspective on the mixture of competing earth science, social, historical and political issues that must be addressed in order to effectively address environmental issues. Students should acquire an ability to assess competing claims and projections for future environmental change.
- T 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
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Instructor:
Michael S Steckler
Info - 4 points
SUPERVISED INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH
Sustainable development majors and special concentrators must register for this independent study to use internship hours for the practicum credit. Students must consult with their program adviser and department before registering. Offered fall, spring and summer.
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Instructor:
Adela J Gondek
CULPA: 2 Info - 1-3 points
US WATER & ENERGY POLICY
Course Summary: Water, one of humankind’s first power sources, remains critically important to the task of maintaining a sustainable energy supply, in the United States and elsewhere. Conversely, the need to provide safe drinking water and keep America’s rivers clean cannot be met without access to reliable energy supplies. As the impact of climate disruption and other resource constraints begins to mount, the water/energy nexus is growing increasingly complex and conflict-prone. Essential Connections begins by examining the development of America’s water and energy policies over the past century and how such policies helped to shape present-day environmental law and regulation. Our focus then turns to the current state of US water and energy resources and policy, covering issues such as oil and gas exploration, nuclear energy, hydroelectric power and renewables. We also examine questions of inclusion and equity in connection with the ways in which communities allocate their water and energy resources and burdens along racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines. The third and final section of the course addresses the prospects for establishing water and energy policies that can withstand climate disruption, scarcity and, perhaps most importantly, America’s seemingly endless appetite for political dysfunction. By semester’s end, students will better understand the state of America’s energy and water supply systems and current efforts to cope with depletion, climate change and related threats affecting these critical, highly-interdependent systems. As a final project, students will utilize the knowledge gained during the semester to create specific proposals for preserving and enhancing the sustainability of US water and energy resources.
- M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
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Instructor:
Paul A Gallay
Info - 3 points
Plants, Animals and Personhood
PLANTS, ANIMALS & PERSONH
This course is intended to be an opportunity to review the relation between the word “person” and plants and animals, with whom humans abide in a biosphere with no natural boundaries or territories. While personhood is a recognition of human capability and agency, we have not taken many steps in the direction of recognizing the capability and agency of plants and animals. Moreover, it is clear that we have diminished many of their functions and even annihilated many of their entire populations. Nonetheless, there is movement to change this. In our course, three major features of personhood are explored: standing, rights and identity. Each of these three features are divided into two types: legal and spiritual standing, juridical and birth rights, and empirical and narrative identities. Animals and plants are discussed in the context of each of the six types; and are discussed in that order (animals first and plants second) because the movement to change the existing conditions has been more active in relation to animals than to plants. The growing tendency to blend both plant personhood and animal personhood into environmental or Nature personhood will also be explored. The overall aim is to help reverse the deleterious conditions generated by the Anthropocene, in which we, and the plants and animals, struggle to live.
- TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Adela J Gondek
CULPA: 2 Info - 3 points
Sustainable Development in Rwanda
SDEV IN RWANDA
This travel course will give students the opportunity to explore what sustainable development means in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa. Satisfying the workshop requirement for SDEV majors, the course is organized around two projects that students will tackle in teams. Ahead of traveling to Rwanda, three main activities will structure the course. First, students will learn about colonial history and current sustainable development efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa. Second, they will be organized into teams to pursue preliminary research on one of two projects. Third, they will be paired with an undergraduate student at the University of Rwanda and begin regular correspondence using WhatsApp. The travel week will be held over spring break. We will be based in the capitol city Kigali, with some in-country travel to explore beyond the urban core. Students will work in teams alongside their University of Rwanda peers to advance the goals of their project. When we return to the U.S., the final weeks of the class will be devoted to focused team work, as students complete their projects.
Biodiversity and the Climate Crisis
BIODIVERSITY & THE CLIMAT
The ‘twin crises’ of biodiversity and climate change are inextricably linked. Biodiversity, much like climate, is a fundamental characteristic of our Earth system and includes not only individual plant, animal, and microbial species, but also their ecological interactions at local, regional, and global scales. Climate change is exacerbating biodiversity loss, which further reduces ecosystem resilience and efficiency, jeopardizing the delivery of services essential to human well-being such as water purification, flood control, soil fertility, pollination and seed dispersal, temperature moderation, direct material and non-material benefits, carbon sequestration, control of non-indigenous species, and regulation of zoonotic diseases. In this course we will use a combination of lectures, student-led discussions, and research papers to explore these interconnections, focusing on food security, habitat types, tipping points, equity, and how biodiversity can both support and be affected by climate mitigation and adaption strategies.
- M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
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Instructor:
Jenna M Lawrence
CULPA: 6
Info
- 3 points
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: A LEGAL FRAMEWORK
EJ: A LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR
The primary goals of environmental justice advocacy are to ensure the equitable treatment and meaningful participation of historically impacted communities in environmental and climate related matters. The movement is deeply rooted in civil rights, human rights, and environmental law. In this course, we will explore the legal framework that advances environmental justice on the local, state, and federal levels. Our course will also explore the interdependent relationship between environmental justice and sustainability. Students will take a hands-on approach to environmental justice and will develop key advocacy skills that practitioners use for the communities that they serve. This course will engage students in a critical analysis of existing environmental justice issues to develop a holistic approach for more effective advocacy.
- F noon-2 p.m.
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Instructor:
Christine Appah-Gyamfi
Info - 3 points
Climate and Sustainable Water Systems
CLIM & SUSTAINABLE WATER
Sustainable water supply, essential for life, is complex and challenging, particularly in the context of climate change. Changing climate affects the availability and quality of water globally. In turn, human use of water produces greenhouse gasses (GHGs) that further exacerbate climate change. Spanning global and individual scale, this course will examine changing interactions of climate and water, implications for human water supply, and steps toward greater sustainability.
Part 1
of the course establishes baseline understanding of natural and human water systems in the context of climate change. What it takes to transform water from its source to “fit-for-purpose” water for domestic, commercial, industrial, and agricultural uses will be examined. The implications of climate change for water systems and the impacts of water development on climate change will also be assessed. The growing challenges of water security, water quality, and water affordability/accessibility will be considered, along with institutional models for water delivery.
Part 2
will delve into pathways toward more sustainable water supplies, with emphasis on safe and affordable drinking water. Means of adaptation and resilience will be explored, from evolving human uses to optimizing water storage and delivery. Throughout Part 2, case studies will bring concepts to reality, engaging students in further exploring strategies and actions to address crucial issues for water sustainability. Practicing leaders from the water field will bring real-world perspectives as guest speakers, sharing direct experience with a specific problem, and engaging with the class in a broader discussion of the issues, led by the instructor.
- W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
- 3 points