Introduction to Sustainability and Development

Explore the relationship between humans and the environment

This online course explores why and how human activity impacts negatively on the environment, why this is important, and what we are trying to do about it.

• What is sustainability and what is development?
• What impact has human activity had on the environment?
• What actions have we taken so far for sustainable development?
• What actions may we need to take for a sustainable future?

The key topics addressed in this course on sustainability in contemporary international and community development, include:

• Diverse understandings of sustainability and development
• Changing planetary conditions and the growing human population
• What the future might look like, and the potential for technology to save us

• Critically review diverse perspectives of sustainable development
• Investigate how interactions between human development and environmental life support systems are/have been managed in real-world cases
• Identify the characteristics and be able to differentiate between development, sustainability and sustainable development