ESA-31806 Environmental Assessments for Pollution Management

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

ESA-22806 Environmental Systems Analysis: Methods and Applications; ESA-23306 Introduction to Global Change.

Contents:

In this course, we discuss environmental impacts of agricultural production and energy production and present various (chains of) models to evaluate the impacts of policy scenarios and management options on air, soil and water quality. An important aim of the modelling tools and resulting analyses is to support managers (e.g. farmers or foresters) or policy/decision-makers in taking appropriate management or policy measures. We focus on the management of large-scale (diffuse) inputs of carbon, nutrients and pollutants related to food, feed and fiber production. In the course we also pay attention to the problem of climate change as an example of an international (trans boundary) pollution problem and we discuss why some environmental assessments for pollution management are more effective than others. During the group work students will work in small groups (4-5 students) in which they will write a research proposal on the design of an environmental model system. To follow the course, students do not need to have experience in programming or computer modelling.

Learning outcomes:

After successful compltion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- recall and explain main interacting environmental impacts of food & energy production on soil, water and air quality and the potential of management options to reduce those impacts;
- explain the choice and impacts of different model approaches in view of differences in pollutant behavior and model aim;
- evaluate the usefulness of environmental models in integrated environmental assessments;
- design an integrated environmental assessment model in terms of model specifications (model inputs, outputs, system boundaries etc.) and model linkages.
More details on the second and third learning outcome are present in the course guide.

Examination:

Assessment of learning outcomes through a written exam with open and closed questions (75% of the grade) and a group work report (25%) of the grade.

Literature:

A course guide and reader are available.