Sustainable Development in a Changing World

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

World population has doubled in the last 50 years, and sustainable development in the face of global change is the greatest challenge of our time. The class provides an overview of the origin, scale and complexity of the challenge. We focus on two specific areas (water and energy), where we, as engineers, scientists and professionals, have a particularly important role to play to address that challenge. We will learn simple quantitative tools to measure and evaluate environmental and resources problems. The course will conclude by discussing the tradeoffs, ethical dilemmas and opportunities involved in factoring sustainable development into policy and engineering decisions.