The Outline of《Environment and Social Development》

1. Basic Teaching Information

1. Course Introduction

   This course consists of five seminars in five closely related subjects:

(1) Climate Change

This seminar will introduce the following four aspects: ① The greenhouse effect; ② Lethal 2 degrees Celsius; ③ Evolution of the sustainability concept and sustainable development goals; ④ Future challenges and opportunities.

(2) Characteristics of complex Air Pollution

This seminar will introduce the following four aspects: ① The definition of complex air pollution; ② The source and chemical mechanism of complex air pollution; ③ The impact of complex air pollution; ④ How to control complex air pollution.

(3) Characteristics of Water Pollution

This seminar will introduce the following three aspects: ① Water resources and human society development; ② Water pollution; ③ Wastewater treatment.

(4) Polymers in a Circular Economy: Life cycle assessment for sustainable (bio)product development

The transition from conventional to environmentally sustainable polymeric materials and technologies urgently requires comprehensive works that evaluate their associated environmental impacts. This information, when disclosed in a transparent and comparable manner, enables making thorough choices on which choice is environmentally preferred. The environmental performance can be quantified by different means, where the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology holds a prevalent role givens its standardization. Obtained quantitative environmental impacts provide guidance toward optimization during (bio)product development, securing a long-term sustainability. Accordingly, this seminar will introduce the most relevant aspects to be considered when carrying out LCA studies. A Circular Economy perspective in the materials and chemicals sector will be included to frame the context. Besides, some of the well-recognized shortcomings of LCA, such as result comparability or scalability, will be discussed. The talk will result specially suitable for researchers and academia with interest in decoupling from fossil-carbon derived materials and chemicals.

(5) Digitization of Waste Supply Chain

This seminar will introduce the following four aspects: ① The digitization of the waste industry including robotics; ② The internet of things; ③ Cloud computing; ④ artificial intelligence and data analytics.

1. The Allocation of Content and Lecture Hours

1. Assessment Methods and Marking Criterion

   Course paper

2. Textbooks and References

Not provided.