Nexus of Water, Land and Energy in a Sustainable World
Are we running out of energy, land and water? Although the total land area and the volume of water remain constant, their use is under pressure. Energy consumption also increases. Growing population, increasing demand for food, expanding cities, quest for energy, industrialization, and irrational policy are all contributing towards global and local stresses. We will explore the challenges to the availability of water, energy and land as well as potential solutions to the impending crises. We will discuss new technologies for water management, energy production and consumption, and land stewardship. Case studies related to the developing water-land-energy nexus will be presented.
Topics
- The goal of the course is to explore the challenges to the availability of water, energy and land as well as potential solutions to the impending crisis. Selected applications in various disciplines and economic sectors will be discussed. The course will introduce several mathematical and physical concepts related to system dynamics and sustainability and combine them with normative tenets of ethical behavior. These will be examined in a rigorous way but with emphasis on understanding these concepts rather than on technical details.
- Ability to formulate and analyze sustainability actions and plans within the three-part framework (Sustainability sphere, time horizon, metrics) and understanding physical and chemical underpinnings of sustainable development.
Official catalogue course objectives and student learning outcomes
Prerequisites & course information
{'preRequisiteCourse': '1184921', 'concurrentPrerequisit': False}; {'preRequisiteCourse': '1028901', 'concurrentPrerequisit': False}; {'preRequisiteCourse': '1184911', 'concurrentPrerequisit': False}
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027