Current environmental problems are complex and diversified, covering various topics from daily life to global issues. Environmental policies play important roles in coping with these problems. In the first part of this course, students will learn the basic ideas and importance of environmental policies through historical overview of environmental pollution and waste problems. Then, they will focus on environmental risks through the case study of asbestos risk assessment. The concept of environmental risks is becoming increasingly important with the advancement of science and technology. Since environmental policies need to cope with the changing social and economic conditions and emerging issues, the basic methodology of policy evaluation will be explained in the latter half of the course. Students will also learn the economic assessment of energy related policies and the system of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) including consensus building, which is crucial to prevent environmental problems.
(1)To be able to explain what is environmental policy
(2)To understand the history of environmental pollution and issues
(3)To understand the concept of environmental risk
(4)To understand the methodology of policy evaluation
(5)To understand the energy related evaluation methods
(6)To understand Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system
Environmental Policy, Environmental Pollution and Issue, Environmental Risk, Policy Evaluation, Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment
✔ Specialist skills | Intercultural skills | Communication skills | Critical thinking skills | ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
Classes will be mainly composed of lectures, with periodical discussions and/or short report writing.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Introduction, What is environmental policy? | Rationale of environmental policy |
Class 2 | Old environmental problems and policy 1400-150 years ago | Historical review of environmental problems/policy |
Class 3 | Root of modern environmental policy in Japan - Minamata disease | A Case study of environmental pollution |
Class 4 | Environmental policy in our daily lives | Case studies of current environmental policies |
Class 5 | Overview of risk management approaches | Theory of risk management |
Class 6 | Cases on environmental risk evaluations | Theory of risk analysis |
Class 7 | Considering risk communication | Methodologies of risk communication |
Class 8 | Basic concept and system of policy evaluation | Details will be instructed in the class |
Class 9 | Main perspectives and methodology of policy evaluation | Details will be instructed in the class |
Class 10 | Global human resources and social environmental policies | Details will be instructed in the class |
Class 11 | Energy systems analysis for policy making | Systems analysis |
Class 12 | Life cycle assessment | Analysis of life cycle assessment |
Class 13 | Economic valuation in environmental economics to environmental policy | Method of economic evaluation in environmental policies |
Class 14 | Environmental Impact Assessment | Theory of environmental impact assessment |
Class 15 | Environmental dispute and consensus building | Theory of consensus building |
Not specified (Some materials will be provided in each class)
Not specified (Some materials will be provided in each class)
Assignments in each class 75%, report 25 %
No prerequisites