E0321 Sustainable development - the biggest challenge today?

Faculty of Science
Spring 2022
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: k (colloquium), z (credit).
Teacher(s)
RNDr. Mgr. Michal Bittner, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Lenka Suchánková (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. Martin Scheringer, Dr. sc. nat.
RECETOX – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: RNDr. Mgr. Michal Bittner, Ph.D.
Supplier department: RECETOX – Faculty of Science
Timetable
Mon 16:00–17:50 D29/347-RCX2
Prerequisites
Lecturing will be online in MS-Teams.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to introduce the multidimensional aspects of the impact of human society on the natural environment. Another aim is to present the potentials and limits of possible solutions. Multidimensionality of the environmental issues and possible solutions lies in the social, ethical, philosophical, economic, technic and legal aspects of the relationship between humans and the natural environment. All these multidimensional aspects of sustainable development will be discussed.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- defend the meaning and importance of the concept of sustainable development in the present world;
- explain how the progression of environmental issues corresponds with apparently unrelated disciplines such as the economy, technology ethics etc.;
- propose possible solutions of contemporary environmental issues on various levels - from personal to international level;
- analyze pros and cons of possible solutions;
- assess contemporary approaches to solving the national and international environmental issues;
- interpret and debate results of up to now successful and unsuccessful solutions to environmental issues.
Syllabus
  • 1) Life in Anthropocene. Planetary boundaries I: Biodiversity loss, Climate change, and Acidification of the oceans.
  • 2) Planetary boundaries concept II: Stratospheric ozone loss; Global nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, Global freshwater consumption, Chemical pollution and Atmospheric aerosols.
  • 3) Social and demographic consequences of the mankind development. Characteristics of the population growth, demographic transition, gender issues, lack/surplus of food, famine as a political tool, diseases, income disparity.
  • 4) History of the concept of sustainable development as a reaction to the developmental issues. Important global (Our Common Future, Rio Declaration, Agenda 21), European (Europe 2020), and national (Czech Republic 2030) documents related to sustainable development concept. UN project Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030).
  • 5) Ecological nature of human beings and resulting impact on the environment. Roots and social manifestations of ecological crisis (migration of people, frustration, violence, etc.).
  • 6) Energy production - environmental, economic and social consequences of various types of energetics.
  • 7) Food production - environmental, economic and social consequences of industrial (conventional), sustainable and organic farming.
  • 8) Environmental ethics - people-environment relation from the perspective of values. Values versus facts. Anthropocentric and biocentric types of ethics. Biocentric ethic (A. Schweitzer), Land ethic (A. Leopold), The Rights of Nature ethic (R. Nash, P. Singer), Deep ecology (A. Naess).
  • 9) The environmental economy as a tool to reach the social prosperity with respect to the environmental boundaries. The tragedy of Commons, fiscal evaluation of the environment, internalization of externalities.
  • 10) Precautionary principle - characterization of its substantial role in the sustainable development and case studies of its non/application and misuse.
  • 11) Dimensions of sustainable development concept. Local Agenda 21 - theory and practical experiences.
  • 12) Sustainable production and consumption. Limits of technological solutions as preferred tools in the way towards the sustainable life.
  • 13) Solutions in the field of personal values. Lifestyles, voluntary simplicity, postmodernism.
  • 14) Field trip to "Eco-village" Hostětín. The date will be set based on the negotiation with students.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • BITTNER, Michal. Úvod do udržitelného rozvoje: souvislosti environmentálního pilíře. 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2013, 250 pp. Edice RECETOX. ISBN 978-80-210-6622-9. info
    not specified
  • MOLDAN, Bedřich. Podmaněná planeta. Vyd. 1. Praha: Karolinum, 2009, 419 s. ISBN 9788024615806. info
  • BINKA, Bohuslav. Environmentální etika. 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2008, 157 s. ISBN 9788021045941. info
  • DIAMOND, Jared M. Kolaps : proč společnosti zanikají a přežívají. Translated by Zdeněk Urban. Vydání 1. Praha: Academia, 2008, 751 stran. ISBN 9788020015891. info
  • HOMER-DIXON, Thomas F. The upside of down : catastrophe, creativity and the renewal of civilisation. London: Souvenir Press, 2007, ix, 429. ISBN 9780285637948. info
  • MEADOWS, Donella H. and Dennis L. MEADOWS. Limits to growth : the 30-year update. Edited by Jørgen Randers. London: Earthscan, 2005, xxii, 338. ISBN 1844071448. info
  • LIBROVÁ, Hana. Vlažní a váhaví (Kapitoly o ekologickém luxusu) (The Half-hearted and the Hesitant: Chapters on Ecological Luxury). 1st ed. Brno: Doplněk, 2003, 320 pp. Společensko-ekologická edice, svazek 8. ISBN 8072391496. info
  • FROMM, Erich. Mít, nebo být? Translated by Jan Lusk. Vydání tohoto překladu pr. Praha: Aurora, 2001, 242 stran. ISBN 8072990365. info
  • KOHÁK, Erazim. Zelená svatozář : kapitoly z ekologické etiky. Vyd. 1. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 1998, 203 s. ISBN 80-85850-63-X. info
  • SCHWEITZER, Albert. Albert Schweitzer - zastánce kritického myšlení a úcty k životu. Edited by Otakar Antoň Funda - Petr Pokorný, Translated by Jaroslav Kohout. Vyd. 1. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1989, 308 s. ISBN 8070210109. URL info
Teaching methods
The lecturing will be online in MS-Teams. Teaching is performed as lectures with Powerpoint presentations. Students are encouraged to ask questions and to interact with the lecturer.
Assessment methods
Attendance of the lectures is not mandatory but strongly recommended for full understanding of the discussed issues. For this reason, attendance is graded by points. Final assessment (at the end of the semester) is by written examination. It is a combination of multiple choice test and questions, which frequently require description, explanation or schematization of the asked topic. Each question is for four points. The total count is 100 and to pass at least 50 points are needed. If the student doesn't agree with the result of the test, there is a possibility to pass the additional oral exam.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2022, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/spring2022/E0321