SF Course Suite

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Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

In this unit, you will be able to:

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This unit aims to introduce the participants to the concepts and principles of sustainable land use.

Previous units covered the use of critical elements and water. Both resources are tightly bonded with the soil they are attached to. Extracting mineral resources influences the surrounding heavily, both soil and water. Necessary for mining is water. The resulting waste waters have the power to pollute the environment, as they are usually enriched in heavy metals. Similarly, ore processing bears risks. After breaking the mined material down in size, the ore is processed with chemical treatments, for example cyanides when processing gold ore. Leakages of waste water are devastating for the environment and restauration is expensive and long-lasting.

This unit provides a wide spectrum of soil-related topics. The methods of land use are a driving factor for human development during the last 12,000 years and often combined with new technology. Providing fundamental knowledge about soil formation and restoration will create awareness for its value. The following unit covers the threats posed by human activity and climate change. This information is adjusted with considerations about responsible land use in advance for economic interests on one side and environmental sustainability on the other.

The main objectives to this unit are:

• Introducing the participants to fundamental understanding of the formation of soil and its value across local, regional and global scales
• Understanding the variety of threats posed by human activity and climate change
• Providing a wide range of measures to protect this resource

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

By the end of this unit, you should be able to accomplish the following tasks:

• To learn about the change of land use through time and what caused these changes
• To understand and explain basic soil classes and the main concepts of pedology and edaphology
• To know about forms of soil pollution and acidification.
• To reflect and discuss on the state of soil in their country and its influence on society
• To understand the interplay between human impact on environment and environmental impact on humans
• To reflect about the impact of land use on society and culture

The unit is intended to introduce students to the concepts, and principles of sustainable water utilization, and introduce some of the threats which tend to counteract the sustainable availability of potable water not only for domestic and industrial use, but also for maintenance of a healthy environment throughout the industrialized economies of the world as well as developing regions of the world.

The unit of necessity is very practically orientated. Therefore, an appreciable amount of time will need to be spent identifying the basic principles and finding solutions that match the context of the problem (NB The aim of the unit is NOT to train hydrologists, but to identify practical solutions to problems threatening sustained potable water. The detail in the unit will need to acknowledge this context). The unit traces water on the earth by dividing it into the main components & acknowledging that, at present, desalination of sea water is not a viable option. This logically leads to the hydrological cycle and the dominant forcing factors governing the quality and quantity of water. These are then considered individually in terms of their characteristics, and the threats posed by human activity while still giving due consideration to the need for economic and industrial advances to continue at the local, regional and national scales.

The unit considers what potential impact is associated with the range of human-induced problems and activities, emphasizing again the concept of cost – benefit analysis in which the environment (clean water) AND labour and economic wellbeing are included. The impacts of the same list of  elemental ores used in the mineral & mining resources sub-units will be considered, and how these impacts may be similar (or different) in the four partner countries. These are: Cu; Co; Ti; Fe; Si; Sn; Li and Al, as well as stone, aggregate, oil and coal.

The spatial nature of these problems at the local and region impact level will be interrogated using GIS, RS and geological maps.

The main objectives of this unit are:

• To introduce students to a fundamental understanding of the distribution of water as a limited resource across local, regional and national/international frontiers;
• To understand the water cycle and to understand the threats posed by many of the activities we take for granted, in particular domestic supply, agriculture and mining activities; and
• To focus on the environmental context of water as a limited resource in need of conservation and management that is steeped in modern technology, as water availability and quality is increasingly presenting limits to further economic and industrial development

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

In this unit, you will be able to

• To discuss the implications of water as a resource, and the range of environmentally compatible technologies available to safeguard it;
• To understand some of the complexities around the distribution and abundance/scarcity of water, and to view the environment as an equal, necessary consumer of water as an essential resource,
• To be able to make decision that take cognisance of the threats and challenges posed by global climate change and variability to the water sector; and
• To be able to contribute significantly to project planning initiatives, and to understand the water conservation needs as an integral part (rather than an add-on) in all development projects.

You should therefore be able to:

• Appreciate the importance and complexity of water as a resource, and the need to use it in sustainable ways;
• List the main threats facing water as a finite, limited world resource
• Summarize the main factors and processes influencing the water cycle and to describe their inter-connectivity and feedback mechanisms;
• Describe and account for the main sources and limitations to fresh water in different regions on earth, and how this is likely to vary in space and time within the context of global climate change and variability;
• To be familiar with the principals, processes and consequences for both natural and human-induced degradation of water quality, and to recognize when intervention/rehabilitation is necessary, and

To understand and describe the common causes that may result in the pollution of water, as well as the consequences and potential rehabilitation strategies required.

This unit explores our individual and collective motivations for engaging with community and the impact those motivations can have on our experience and support for sustainable development. This unit also provides some general considerations and guidance regarding community engagement. When we get engaged with the community, we get to learn from them. Local knowledge is instrumental in supporting sustainable development.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

In this unit, you will be able to

• Articulate your own motivations for and understanding of community engagement
• Analyze how one’s approach to community engagement can impact the community
• Compare various principles of community engagement
• Relate community engagement to community learning for sustainable development

This unit deals with social aspects of resource use and associated problems including global ethical partnerships, stakeholder analysis and the indigenous and community perspectives on resource use.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

At the end of the unit,

• you are able to discuss the complexity of ethical partnerships
• you are familiar with a stakeholder analysis
• you understand the indigenous and community perspectives on resource use
• you can critically analyse the difference between these two perspective of utilising natural resources

Critical elements are all around us. They are needed for your mobile phone, your car, computer and tablet and they are fundamental for the so called clean energy transition moving away from fossil fuels. You have learned in Unit 1 that the geopolitical landscape will change dramatically during the transition from fossil fuels to critical elements. What are critical elements and why are they “critical”? An element, mineral or material, is critical if it is a) not easily accessible, b) there are no large resources or the resources are concentrated in one area, c) it depends on locality and how they are mined (sustainability, responsibility, politically)?, d) and whether or not this resource is recyclable. Unfortunately, quite a number of important elements that are used for the clean energy transition and a lot of modern devices are critical. Let’s have a closer look at these elements, discuss their demand and supply, and implications for society and geopolitics.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

In this unit, you will be able to

• recognize multiple dimensions of critical elements in society
• develop an understanding of the formation and supply of critical elements, and implications for society and geopolitics
• discuss possible responses in real practice.