Suchergebnis: Katalogdaten im Frühjahrssemester 2021

Umweltnaturwissenschaften Master Information
Ergänzungen
Ergänzung in Globaler Wandel und Nachhaltigkeit
NummerTitelTypECTSUmfangDozierende
701-1653-00LPolicy and Economics of Ecosystem Services Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen
Number of participants limited to 50.
W3 KP2GR. Garrett, A. Müller
KurzbeschreibungThe course addresses ecosystem services, their value for society, the causes of their degradation, the stakeholders involved in their provision and use, and policies to reduce their degradation. One focus is on environmental economics approaches, highlighting their potential and limitations. During the spring of 2021 this course will focus on these issues through the case of the Brazilian Amazon.
LernzielStudents can describe, analyse and explain
• the basic concepts used to describe ecosystem services provision and management;
• the basic social and natural science theory underlying ecosystem service degradation,
• the role and characteristics of different key stakeholders involved in ecosystem services management, including their different value systems;
• the different types of policy instruments and institutional arrangements that can be used for improved ecosystem services management and provision; and
• empirical tools to assess the performance of various policy instruments and management systems for ecosystem services provision, and to investigate the factors of success or failure of different policy instruments
InhaltMany of the world's ecosystem services are being degraded or used unsustainably, which has considerable impacts on human well-being. Various aspects need to be taken into account to change this development, to work towards improved ecosystem services management and to design appropriate policy instruments and institutional contexts. First, the societal value of different ecosystem services and the trade-offs between them needs to be assessed. Second, an assessment of the causes of excessive ecosystem services degradation is needed. Potential causes include the presence of externalities and public goods, improperly designed property rights systems, divergence of private and social discount rates, and lack of information and knowledge. Third, we need to understand the drivers of human decision-making in relation to ecosystem services use. Fourth, choosing an appropriate policy instrument (or a combination thereof) requires an understanding of the relative strengths and weaknesses of different instruments, their preconditions for success and the political economy of their implementation.
Finally, it is important to assess the actual impacts of different policy and management options. This requires a careful assessment of appropriate baselines, of the situation after a policy or management change, and of the various stakeholder groups involved, etc. To address all these issues, we will first work with some broad conceptual issues and theories relevant to this field and then deepen our understanding through reading, presentations, and assignments focused on the case of the Brazilian Amazon.
SkriptLecture notes, homework exercises and readings will be made available on Moodle.
LiteraturThere is no single textbook for this class. Instead, a number of texts will be distributed and used during the lecture, and some texts for further reading will be indicated.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThe course consists of a combination of lectures, homework assignments and discussions in small groups. The final grade will be based on the homework assignments, class participation, and a group project.
A prerequisite for this course is a bachelor-level course in Environmental Economics (e.g. 363-0537-00L Resource and Environmental Economics) or Quantitative Policy Analysis and Management. In particular, students are expected to be familiar with basic environmental economics' concepts such as externality, public good, market failure, opportunity cost, social optimum and market equilibrium, the basic types of policy instruments, and methods of policy analysis. Students with no background in environmental economics or policy analysis will be expected to come up to the required standards on their own, prior to starting the class.
751-5118-00LGlobal Change BiologyW2 KP2GH. Bugmann, O. Díaz Yáñez, M. Gharun, B. Stocker
KurzbeschreibungThis course focuses on the impacts of global change on forests and agro-ecosystems that will strongly affect sustainable resource use across the 21st century.
LernzielStudents will understand how global change, ecosystem processes, land use practices, politics, and society interact, and that it is critical to act responsibly and work as an agricultural or environmental scientist in the future.

Students will better understand the impacts of global change on ecosystems at a range of spatial and temporal scales, be able to synthesize knowledge from various disciplines in the context of global change issues, and be able to evaluate management options for sustainable resource use, climate mitigation and adaptation options.

Students will learn to present scientific information to a scientific audience by preparing an executive summary and an oral presentation to answer a specific scientific question. Students will get extensive feedback from teachers and peers. Thereby, students will also learn how to give constructive feedback to peers.
InhaltChanges in climate and land use are major issues that students will be faced with during their working life, independently of where they will work. Thus, an advanced understanding on how global change, ecosystem processes, land use practices, politics, and society interact and that it is critical to act responsibly and work as an agricultural or environmental scientist in the future.

Thus, during this course, the effects of global change on forests and agro-ecosystems as well as their feedbacks to the climate system will be presented and discussed. Effects on ecosystem structure, composition, productivity and biogeochemical cycling, but also on the stability of production systems against disturbances will be addressed.

Up-to-date scenarios and models for coupled human-environmental systems will be discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of different management options will be evaluated, including sustainable resource use and climate mitigation as well as adaptation.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThis course is based on fundamental knowledge about plant ecophysiology, soil science, and ecology in general.
860-0012-00LCooperation and Conflict Over International Water Resources Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen
Findet dieses Semester nicht statt.
Number of participants limited to 40.
Priority for Science, Technology, and Policy MSc.

This is a research seminar at the Master level. PhD students are also welcome.
W3 KP2SB. Wehrli
KurzbeschreibungThis seminar focuses on the technical, economic, and political challenges of dealing with water allocation and pollution problems in large international river systems. It examines ways and means through which such challenges are addressed, and when and why international efforts in this respect succeed or fail.
LernzielAbility to (1) understand the causes and consequences of water scarcity and water pollution problems in large international river systems; (2) understand ways and means of addressing such water challenges; and (3) analyse when and why international efforts in this respect succeed or fail.
InhaltBased on lectures and discussion of scientific papers and reports, students acquire basic knowledge on contentious issues in managing international water resources, on the determinants of cooperation and conflict over international water issues, and on ways and means of mitigating conflict and promoting cooperation. Students will then, in small teams coached by the instructors, carry out research on a case of their choice (i.e. an international river basin where riparian countries are trying to find solutions to water allocation and/or water quality problems associated with a large dam project). They will write a brief paper and present their findings towards the end of the semester.
SkriptSlides and reading materials will be distributed electronically.
LiteraturThe UN World Water Development Reports provide a broad overview of the topic: Link
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThe course is open to Master and PhD students from any area of ETH.

ISTP students who take this course should also register for the course 860-0012-01L - Cooperation and conflict over international water resources; In-depth case study.
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