Global Sustainability Analysis

Course Objective
The course provides students with a multi-disciplinary view of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in geoscience and economics. The objectives of this course:

To understand the international dimensions of sustainability challenges
To compare the operation of international conventions and policies (e.g. IPCC and Sendai Disaster Framework)
To evaluate Sustainable Development Goals and their relationship with geosciences, economics, links between SDGs, between countries characterized by different socio-economic conditions
To develop a communication tool to support the future pathway toward the achievement of SDGs

Course Content
The United Nations Agenda 2030's SDGs constitute an ambitious roadmap of 17 goals and 169 targets aimed at reducing global inequities, ending unsustainable consumption patterns, facilitating sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development, and ensuring a sustainable future for all humanity. The SDGs mark an important shift in the way nature and human relations are understood and addressed. For example, the SDGs promote the idea of coupled human-nature systems in which poverty reduction and health are seen as intrinsically intertwined, and their transformative potential can materialize if the relation between poverty and environmental degradation is made explicit.

Meeting the SDG targets requires collaboration among scientists involved in monitoring, protecting, managing, assessing, and restoring the natural environment, including geoscientists and economists. Interdisciplinary approaches are thus needed in geoscience and economics to meet the SDGs in order to manage and allocate natural resources taking into account the links between natural and human systems. This implies the geoscience and economics engagement in the SDGs across multiple disciplines (e.g. engineering, ecology, social sciences, anthropology, psychology) and sectors (e.g. academia, industry, government, and civil society) to ensure an effective translation of knowledge into tools to inform policy and practice.

This course is aimed at increasing societal awareness of environmental issues and the links between SDGs, geoscience, and economics to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The course will allow students to get a deeper understanding of timely and important issues such as environmental sustainability and apply these concepts in real-life examples in preparation for their professional careers. After the successful competition of the course, the students will be able to communicate the importance of considering earth-system context, boundaries, and feedback to policymakers and stakeholders charged when considering different SDGs. The acquired knowledge will then prepare the students that will decide to either specialize by taking a master's degree or to work as an advisor at a research institute, water board, ministry or NGO, or a company that works on sustainable solutions.

Teaching Methods
The course sessions consist of topical lectures by relevant experts. Different teaching methods (e.g. group and peer discussions, games,
quizzes, etc.) will be used to actively engage students and enhancescritical and scientific thinking. Different experts will be invited to show links between SDGs (e.g. social sustainability, clean water and sanitation, and health) and geoscience (e.g. water-related issues, climate, and geology and land use). Lectures will be on-campus, except where specified in the schedule; any Zoom links are posted on the Canvas page.
It is important that you attend all sessions. Although attendance is not formally checked, please make sure you participate as interaction in the classroom is a highly valuable part of the course. This course grants 6 credits, with an expected workload of about 157h hours, in accordance
with the standard workload of BSc courses at VU.

Method of Assessment
The course assessment is performed by means of a group assignment and a written exam. In the group assignment, each group will have to analyze the relationships between SDGs, geoscience, economics, and countries characterized by different socio-economic conditions. The assignment will be introduced and explained during the course's first lecture. Students will prepare a 5-min video summarizing their findings. The written exam will focus on the topics introduced and discussed during the course's classes. The grades will be combined to form the final course grade. Students must achieve a grade of at least 5.5 for both the group assignment and the written exam.