（中 文）环境与社会发展

Teacher

Chaoji Chen

Hairong Cheng

Jie Chen

Erlantz   Lizundia

Yohanes Kristianto Nugroho, Liandong Zhu

First day of classes

2024.7.1

Last day of classes

2024.7.10

Course Credit

1

Course   Description

Course Introduction

1. Climate Change

With the   development of industry and population increase, the consumption of fossil   fuels increases rapidly, making the emission of combustion products. On the   other hand, the massive destruction of forests reduces the amount of CO₂   absorbed by forests. All these factors lead to the "greenhouse   effect", which is a pivotal role in the global warming. If the average   temperature of the earth exceeds 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial   times, climate change will exceed the limits of human control, such as sea   level rise, droughts, wildfires, and the extinction of large numbers of   plants and animals. Facing this severe environmental situation, almost all   countries around the world have developed energy conservation and emission   reduction strategies to achieve the goals of carbon neutrality and carbon   peak as soon as possible.

2. Complex Air Pollution

We are experiencing the most drastic change in   air quality in China. Complex air   pollution occurs when atmospheric pollutants couple under specific   meteorological conditions, forming a complex air pollution system. The   characteristics of the system include pollution from high concentrations of   ozone and high concentrations of particulate matter, leading to substantial   adverse impacts on the environment and human health. The course will   introduce the sources, chemical processes and health effects of complex air   pollution in China.

3. 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

There is an emerging trend of digitizing waste   management and treatment, which is mostly still in an infant stage. New   digital technologies such as waste e-trading platforms, and waste-specific   software and business analytics are emerging as new business models. The   technologies can be found in all steps of the waste management process, with   some already in widespread use. However, the scale of application of these   technologies is unevenly distributed across the globe. There is a need of   speeding up the digital transformation of the waste management sector. The   digital transformation may improve recycling, facilitating the use of   recyclates by producers, enabling better purchasing and sorting decisions by   consumers, and improving waste sourcing options for recyclers.

Objective

1.The lecture session introduces the causes and consequences of global   climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions, lethal 2 degrees Celsius,   Evolution of the sustainability concept and sustainable development goals,   and future challenges and opportunities to address this environmental   problem, which can therefore be seen as one of the guidelines for developing   future sustainable strategies to meet the requirements of worldwide   sustainable development.

2.The rapid development of cities generates economic development, but   it is also accompanied by the aggravation of urban pollution. Complex air   pollution has become increasingly severe since the twentieth century in   China. The objective of the course is to understand the sources, chemical   processes and health effects of complex air pollution, and how to control it.

3. It introduces the concept of water resources development, utilization   and protection.

4.Understand the causes and consequences of global climate change, and   how to develop CO₂ capture and utilization technologies, which is circular   for sustainable development goals.

5.The lecture session introduces some digitization of the waste   industry including robotics, the internet of things, cloud computing,   artificial intelligence and data analytics, that may impact future waste   management logistics, and as a means to improve economic value of waste   conversion into valuable products.

Assignments   (essay or other forms)

Discussion during the lecture.

Text   Books and Reading Materials

Not provided.