| Unit name | Sustainable Futures |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EASC30037 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Vala Ragnarsdottir |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
First year Environmental Geoscience or equivalent |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Earth Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
The unit will outline new concepts in environmental science that are now frequently quoted in the media but the core of which are often demonstrably misunderstood. The Stern report has put the monetary value on &�business as usual&� to be of the order of the combined costs of World Wars I & II, and the 1929 stock market crash. The unit will focus on the measures that need to be implemented to keep temperature rise at 1oC or lower - (i.e. CO2 at lower than 450 ppmv) - and only around 10% species extinction. The unit will evaluate the different means by which ecological and carbon footprints can be reduced. A core concept will be the means by which economic value can be placed on ecosystem services and carbon reduction and how this can be achieved. The options explored will range from individual action to organisation and community change as well as political leadership.
