Environmental Sustainability and Green Technology

Transcription

1 Master of Science Environmental Sustainability and Green Technology Course Handbook Year 2018/9 School of Geography, Geology & the Environment

2 MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Course Handbook 2018/9 Contents Welcome 2 The MSc ESGT team 3 Keele University Sustainability Hub 4 The Student Experience 5 Course Structure 7 Core Modules Semester 1 8 Core Modules Semester 2 9 Core Module Research Project 10 Option Modules Semester 1 10 Option Modules Semester 2 12 Disclaimer 15 MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 1

3 Welcome The Keele University MSc in Environmental Sustainability is a wide ranging course covering issues spanning science, social science and politics. This is no accident. The challenges that our generation and coming generations will face include those that cannot be solved by a single subject approach. The ability to solve problems in a way that takes into account politics, economics, science and impacts to society is crucial if we are to secure a sustainable future. There is a growing need for integrated solutions led by people with the skills and knowledge to cope with complex problems and see those solutions implemented in challenging political and economic landscapes. Past students from this course with the ability to widen their skills are agents for change and many have secured researcher roles and exciting employment opportunities in industry and the public sector. During this course you ll study a core set of subjects and have the opportunity to specialise and follow interests in a range of interesting optional modules. Your dissertation project is your chance to pursue interests and to gain experience in areas that you might want to develop as a career. Students often carry out projects with industry or public sector collaborators to work on real issues, gain valuable experience and establish lasting professional relationships. In addition to the set lectures and project, you should take advantage of opportunities to attend additional seminars and lectures from invited speakers. These are a great way to widen your knowledge and to network with experts. During your study you ll have access to the facilities in the Sustainability Hub. You ll have the opportunity to get involved with the outreach and activities run by the Hub such as science outreach and business conferences. I hope that you will enjoy this course and will relish the challenge of furthering knowledge in backgrounds that you may already be familiar with and in areas that will be new and unchartered. We ve produced this Handbook to give you information about your course and about the university in general. It will help guide you throughout your time with us, but please ask us if you have any questions or if anything is unclear. Dr Sharon George MSc ESGT course director s.m.george@keele.ac.uk MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 2

4 The MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Team Course Director Dr Sharon George Tel: Room HF1.12 Sustainability Hub, or Room WS1.19 William Smith Building ESC-40034, ESC-40030, ESC-40031, ESC-40029, ESC Administrator Karen Babb Tel: (William Smith) Room HF1.12 Sustainability Hub (Mon-Tues) or Room WS0.04 William Smith Building (Weds-Thurs) (Monday Thursday 09:30 14:00) Module leaders Dr Jamie Pringle Tel: Room WS1.13 William Smith Building ESC Dr John Vogler Tel: Room CBA1.025 Chancellor s Building PIR Dr Peter Thomas p.a.thomas@keele.ac.uk, Tel: Room Hux026 Huxley Building LSC Prof Chris Fogwill c.j.fogwill@keele.ac.uk, Tel: Room WS1.03 William Smith Building ESC Dr Deirdre McKay d.c.mckay@keele.ac.uk, Tel: Room WS1.28 William Smith Building GEG MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 3

5 Dr Mario Prost Tel: Room CBC2.027 Chancellor s Building LAW Dr Glenda Jones g.m.jones@keele.ac.uk, Tel: Room WS1.04 William Smith Building ESC Dr Simon George s.d.george@keele.ac.uk, ESC Administrator Your course administrator for the MSc in Environmental Sustainability and Green Technology is Mrs Karen Babb, k.a.babb@keele.ac.uk, tel: Hub ; William Smith (Hours: Monday Thursday 09:30 14:00). Karen is based at the Sustainability Hub on Mondays and Tuesdays, and in the William Smith office on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The School of Geography, Geology & the Environment Office The GGE office is located in room WS0.04 on the ground floor of the William Smith Building. Information on the Keele Website You ll find information for the MSc ESGT students on the webpages maintained by the School of Geography, Geology & the Environment. Keele University Sustainability Hub A lot of the teaching on your course takes place in Keele s Sustainability Hub situated within the refurbished Home Farm buildings. The Resource Room on the ground floor is your space to work in and to catch up with your fellow students. This is where you ll find the MSc ESGT noticeboard (please check regularly for updates). There are computers in this area for you to use for study. This area is open MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 4

6 every day, Monday to Friday between normal working hours. Use outside of these hours must be arranged with the Hub staff and Security. The Student Experience Keele University GeoSociety The Geosociety is run for students and by students, with the active encouragement of the GGE team. The society organises a full programme of social events, field trips and lectures. A list of committee members will be displayed on the GeoSociety noticeboard in the William Smith building early in the Autumn Semester. Please get involved. KPA : Keele Postgraduate Association The KPA is an association of university postgraduates. When you arrive at Keele you automatically become a member and are entitled to use KPA facilities. The KPA is a postgraduate-run organisation with annual elections and an appointed general manager. It offers a bar, hot and cold food, lounge and TV, pool table and meeting room. It organises special events and runs a weekly BBQ during the summer. The KPA is located directly behind the Students Union building at the entrance to Horwood Hall. For further details, see: kpa.org.uk. The MSc ESGT Research Conference Organised mainly by the students, the Research Conference is the opportunity for you to showcase the research and the results from your end of year project to an invited audience of project supervisors, the MSc ESGT teaching team, your external collaborators and the wider business community. A great networking opportunity and great experience! The Green Ball This (or something similar)! is an annual event organised by you, the students, after dissertation hand in in August. The invitees are students, staff and past MSc ESGT students. It s a great way to celebrate the end of the course and to network with past students. Bangor Field Course Every year the course holds a visit to North Wales to look at energy production and pollution management in a real context. This 3 day trip takes place in the Easter vacation and has in the past featured visits to a wind farm, Parys Mountain copper mine, the Environment Agency, the Center of Alternative Energy and Wylfa nuclear power station. Every year the MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 5

7 trip varies according to interest and developments in energy production and is a great opportunity to spend time to reflect on what you have learned in context. It s expected that students will attend the field course and should provide a valid reason for any absence well in advance. MSc ESGT students 2016/7 MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 6

8 Course Structure The course is structured in three main sections. The first section gives an introduction to Sustainable Technologies and to Environmental Politics. You are then able to select any optional modules according to your own interests. The second section also allows for choice of optional modules, but concentrates on case studies and developing research skills. Section 3 is the research project which can be carried out at Keele, or elsewhere in the UK, or abroad (with approval). The course utilises global examples and prepares you with skills that will enable you to understand the environmental challenges and green technologies at national and international levels. Semester 1 Semester 2 Project Core Option Option Core Core (choose 2) (choose 2) (2 x 15 credits) (2 x 15 credits) (2 x 15 credits) (2 x 15 credits) (60 credits) ESC ESC Clean & Green Clean & Green Technologies I: Technologies II: ESC An Introduction to Sustainable Technologies PIR Dimensions of Environmental Politics Power from Above the Earth LSC Trees, Forests & Global Change LAW International Environmental Law ESC Natural Hazards Power from Below the Earth ESC Green IT ESC Climate Change Science GEG Economic Development &l Environmental Transformation 60 credits: PG certificate 120 credits: PG diploma 180 credits: MSc Semester 1 (4 x 15-credit modules) ESC Case Studies in Sustainability ESC Research & Business Skills, Project & Portfolio Management ESC Research Project & Dissertation The two core modules provide general overviews of sustainable technologies, and of the political issues (economic, social, legal) associated with the environment. You then focus on particular sustainability issues through your choice of two modules for more in-depth study. MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 7

9 Semester 2 (4 x 15-credit modules) Two further options are chosen for more in-depth study. The remaining two core modules allow you to: work in groups to carry out case studies on environmental topics learn about research skills, and the management of projects Summer (1 x 60-credit module) The research project allows you to work with an expert, either in the University (e.g. in a lab, with a non-lab group, or with Estates) or with a business, on a research topic agreed with your supervisor; this provides excellent training in the specialist topic, and allows a range of employability skills to be developed. As a part time student you will study 2 x 15 credit modules per semester. Core Modules Semester 1 (total 30 credits) ESC An Introduction to Sustainable Technologies (compulsory 15 credits) This module will provide students with an overview of key concepts, debates, processes and discourses with regard to the main clean(er) and sustainable technologies which will be covered in detail in optional modules. In addition, the key process and issues involved in using resources and the effects both now and in the future will be considered. Topics will include: Energy security Power distribution and storage Renewable sources of energy and their exploitation for power generation Conventional and Unconventional hydrocarbons Nuclear energy Geological, Biological and Ocean Sequestration Climate Change, greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect Protecting and Managing Water and food resources Biodiversity and biosecurity Students will cover topics across the field, which will prepare them to specialise in greater depth in one or more areas through later optional modules and in their dissertation. PIR Dimensions of Environmental Politics (compulsory 15 credits) This module aims to provide students with an overview of key concepts, debates, processes and discourses in relation to the political dynamics of the environment. It aims to be a broad introduction to the main facets of environmental politics and covers a substantial amount of ground in a relatively short amount of time. The seminars therefore provide breadth rather MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 8

10 than depth. The aim is that students will gain a good general understanding across the field, which will prepare them to specialise in greater depth in one or more areas in other optional modules and their dissertation. Students will explore the following three key questions in environmental politics: - How did the environment come to be seen as a political question? - How have political institutions responded to what have been called environmental problems? - What are the challenges such problems individually or collectively pose for existing political structures, institutions, and practices, and the theoretical presumptions underlying them? However in writing the assessed essay students will chose a question that requires in depth research on a specific aspect of the module. Students will also have the opportunity to develop their research and communication skills by participating in weekly debates. Core Modules Semester 2 (total 30 credits) ESC Case Studies in Sustainability (compulsory 15 credits) This highly interactive module allows students to specialise in aspects of topics they find interesting. Subjects covered include topical and often controversial issues of technology development and sustainable living. Important employability skills are developed as the abilities to assimilate data, work as a team and solve problems are practised. In this module you will work as a member of a team to consider complex scientific, political, management and ethical issues relating to problems in the environmental sustainability and green technology sectors. This will involve you improving your professional negotiation and presentation skills as you review case studies and consult widely and engage in student-led debates in controversial and topical issues around sustainability and energy supply and demand. ESC Research and Business Skills, Project and Portfolio Management (core module 15 credits) Research funding bodies have identified a need at the post-graduate level to provide training in generic research skills and for students to develop a skills base that would enable them to fulfil their career aspirations. This module encourages post-graduates to develop research and communication skills for research and commercial environments. The module includes experimental design and data analysis for science and social science, project management, communication skills, public understanding of science, career management, intellectual property rights, and the role of ethics. Commercial aspects are a key factor in project management and decision making. Students learn how to put together professional project planning documents including a project scope MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 9

11 and business plan incorporating a detailed implementation, resource, and financial management plan. Core Module (compulsory 60 credits) ESC Research Project and Dissertation Students develop their research, problem-solving skills and independence by undertaking a research project based on real-world challenges in sustainability, either at Keele or in collaboration with an associated academic, private or public sector organisation. Research projects are made available to students proposed by Keele researchers and partnering organisations and companies. Students are also encouraged to propose project ideas of their own. Projects can be based on any relevant area of interest as long as it is agreed with a Keele supervisor. Students submit a 15-20,000 word dissertation outlining the aims and objectives, background and context of the research, methods and results. The report will include discussion of the significance of findings and any implications and recommendations in the context of wider research and/or application of the knowledge into practice. Option Modules Semester 1 (select 2 from 4: total 30 credits) ESC Clean & Green Technologies I: Power from above the Earth (optional 15 credits) This module will explore the range of technologies which are available to us at or above the earth s surface, commonly known as Renewable or Sustainable Energies; their technological challenges, distribution, deployment and current economics. Topics will include: The technologies and principles of sustainable energy systems Onshore and offshore wind power Tidal barrage, tidal stream and offshore wave power Solar thermal and photovoltaic energy Biogas, biomass and biofuels Hydrogen and fuel cells The module will provide a basis of understanding of the implications of meeting global energy budgets from these sources, and how different national geographic/economic scenarios will drive development of these technologies. MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 10

12 ESC Natural Hazards (optional 15 credits) This module examines the causes and characteristics of a broad variety of natural hazards and their destructive impact on human society. These hazards range from small-scale to large-scale events, from relatively minor disturbances to catastrophic disasters, and are associated with both environmental and anthropogenic triggers. Particular attention is paid to the assessment of risk and the steps that can be taken to prevent or mitigate the damage and disruption associated with these processes. The module aims to evaluate and analyse the causes of a variety of natural hazards, to investigate their potential impacts on human society and infrastructure, & to evaluate measures that can be taken to mitigate and predict their destructive effects. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: critically analyse and critically evaluate the causes and dangers associated with specific natural hazards; critically assess and quantify the risk posed by natural hazards in a variety of hypothetical situations; critically evaluate the techniques that can be used to predict & mitigate the impacts of natural hazards & evaluate the most appropriate measures for varying circumstances. Skills gained include: (1) analysis, interpretation & manipulation of a variety of scientific data to assess the risk posed by natural hazards; (2) evaluation of the most suitable measures to prevent or minimise their effects in a various circumstances; (3) Further development of written communication skills through focus groups and coursework assessments respectively. Method: Individual Technical report (50%) 2 hour written examination (50%). Note long answer questions based on practical laboratory content Dates: Individual technical report submission end week 12 Written examination - January LSC Trees, Forests and Global Change (optional 15 credits) Trees and forests are hugely important to the long term survival and health of humans by creating habitats for biodiversity, locking-up carbon, and providing many ecosystem services. This module investigates the threats and opportunities that are faced by individual trees and forests in a changing world and how the threats can be mitigated to maintain these ecosystem services including timber production. It features: The underlying reasons why global change is currently affecting trees and forests and what the future holds MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 11

13 How these changes will affect services provided by forests The degree to which carbon sequestration is a valid tool to counter climate change How forests can be managed to maintain and improve carbon storage Different ways that forests can be managed to balance timber production with ecosystem protection, including whole tree harvesting through to continuous cover forestry This module will provide students with an understanding of how forests react to environmental change, and why this is important in informing forest management to maintain ecosystem integrity and forest productivity. It will involve lectures, seminars and visits to see various types of woodland management. No background knowledge in biology or environmental management is needed! LAW International Environmental Law (optional 15 credits) This module offers a critical perspective on the development of international environmental law. It provides a grounding in the legal norms, institutions and processes of the field, and explores current environmental global issues such as biodiversity loss, trade and environment, food security and climate change through specific treaty regimes. Drawing on a range of legal, policy and other literature, the module highlights key challenges facing the regulation of the environment today. Option Modules Semester 2 (select 2 from 4: total 30 credits) ESC Clean & Green Technologies II: Power from beneath the Earth (optional 15 credits) This module will explore the range of processes and technologies which we use to exploit energy sources from below the earth s surface. Current and emerging technologies will be covered and discussed. Issues around technologies that are sold as being green(er) will be explored and debated. Only some of the energy sources are renewable but most have been presented as an answer to fuel shortages or pollution or both. This module will examine technological challenges, distribution, deployment, current economics, environmental impacts and green credentials within a range of topics, including: Traditional fossil fuel extraction Exploration and drilling technologies Shale gas, tar sands and shale oil Clean(er) coal Coal bed methane with carbon capture and sequestration Underground coal gasification, carbon capture and sequestration Clean burn coal technologies with carbon capture and sequestration MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 12

14 Nuclear fusion and fission Geothermal energy Ground source heat pumps The module will develop an understanding of the implications of meeting global energy budgets from these sources, and how different national geoenvironments will enable and drive development of these technologies. ESC Green IT (optional 15 credits) Information Technology is an integral part of modern, developed society. IT is used for both business and leisure. IT has resulted in a world that is becoming ever more connected and controlled by networked devices. These changes have led to significant commercial and social benefits, including: faster more efficient supply lines, better health care, improved crop yields and greater access to information. However, the lifecycle of IT infrastructure is relatively short and the devices employed can use some of the rarest and most difficult to extract chemical elements. Further, the infrastructure is moving to an always on mode of operation and already accounts for over 2% of the world s electricity use. This module will enable students to develop their understanding of the sustainability challenges facing the IT industry and of the strategies and techniques that are available to address these challenges. Through a series of lectures, industrial visits and hands on workshops, students will explore ways to reduce the carbon footprint and environmental impact of IT systems. As well as how IT can enhance sustainability in other sectors (from the paperless office to modelling and video conferencing). ESC Climate Change Science (optional 15 credits) This module covers factors affecting the climate and the impacts that climate change is having on our planet and its inhabitants. Topics include how climate change comes about, its effects and how to prevent it, including the role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Students on this module gain skills and confidence in interpreting and communicating complex information, basic modelling and data analysis related to climate change. The module will guide the student through the science of climate change, its causes, impacts and potential prevention and mitigation. Typical topics include: natural and human-induced climate change processes; including greenhouse gas formation, interactions and impacts; forcing factors; the role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); geoengineering and related ethical issues and dilemmas; and modelling sea-level rise. MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 13

15 The structure of this module is designed to equip students with confidence and skills to interpret, appraise and relate complex information to a range of audiences. GEG Economic Development & Environmental Transformation (optional 15 credits) Are economic development and environmental concerns always opposed? Why doesn't environmental conservation seem to work? And what areas should be conservation priorities to sustain global ecosystems? What does international development assistance do for the people who depend most directly on their local environments for their livelihoods? This module helps students find their own answers to some of these pressing questions by introducing them to development geography. Students explore key ideas from this subdiscipline including political ecology - the study of environments as products of social action - and performative economy - the idea of 'economy' as an abstract realm we bring into being by describing it. The coursework involves using in-depth case studies of economy and ecology to evaluate different pathways towards - and definitions of - 'development.' Additional Lectures External speakers will give guest lectures on relevant topics within the programme. There are three underlying principles which link the differing parts of the course and provide coherence. The following are the fundamental questions which environmental technologies and political policies must address in order to be adopted and make meaningful contributions to carbon reduction:. Is this technically feasible? Is this economically feasible? Is this politically feasible? Speakers will include industry and public sector experts. MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 14

16 Disclaimer Every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this Handbook and in all other documentation provided by the School is correct at the time of publication. The Handbook does not replace the entries in the University Regulations, which are authoritative statements. In the case of a contradiction or other discrepancy between information in this Handbook and the Regulations, the Regulations shall be authoritative, unless approval has been given for a variation. We would however, be grateful to you for drawing any sources of contradictory information to our attention. The University will do all it reasonably can to provide the programme as described in this document. Given the duration of the programme, circumstances beyond the University s reasonable control may mean that it cannot deliver the programme as described. In addition to the other information provided, the University seeks to identify below the circumstances in which it may be required to make changes. Where any such changes are made, the University will notify the relevant students as early as reasonably possible and will take all reasonable steps to minimise any disruption which may result, for example, by delivering a modified version of the programme, affording the opportunity to withdraw and providing help to transfer to another institution or, where relevant, by providing alternative optional modules. It may be helpful to remember that Schools sometimes operate different procedures and you are advised to refer to the relevant School Handbook for modules being taken in another School. Updated: September 2018 MSc Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology Handbook 2018/9 Page 15