102-0307-01L  Advanced Environmental, Social and Economic Assessments

Courses

Catalogue data

Abstract	This course deepens students' knowledge of environmental, economic, and social assessment methodologies and their various applications.
Learning objective	This course has the aim of deepening students' knowledge of the environmental, economic and social assessment methodologies and their various applications. In particular, students completing the course should have the - ability to judge the scientific quality and reliability of environmental assessment studies, the appropriateness of inventory data and modelling, and the adequacy of life cycle impact assessment models and factors - knowledge about the current state of the scientific discussion and new research developments - ability to properly plan, conduct and interpret environmental assessment studies In the course element "Implementation of Environmental and other Sustainability Goals", students will learn to - describe key sustainability problems of the current economic system and measuring units. - describe the management system of an organisation and how to develop a sustainability orientation - discuss approaches to measure environmental performance of an organisation, including 'organisational LCA' (Ecobalance) - explain the pros and cons of single score environmental assessment methods - demonstrate life cycle costing - interpret stakeholder relations of an organisation - (if time allows) describe sustainable supply chain management and stakeholder management
Content	Part I (Advanced Environmental Assessments) - Inventory database developments, transparency, data quality, data completeness, and data exchange formats, uncertainties - Software tools (MFA, LCA) - Allocation (multioutput processes and recycling) - Hybrid LCA methods. - Consequential and marginal analysis - Impact assessment of waterborne chemical emissions, sum parameters, mixture toxicity - Spatial differentiation in Life Cycle Assessment - Workplace and indoor exposure in Risk and Life Cycle Assessment - Subjectivity in environmental assessments - Multicriteria Decision Analysis - Case Studies Part II (Implementation of Environmental and other Sustainability Goals): - Sustainability problems of the current economic system and its measuring units; - The structure of a management system, and elements to integrate environmental management (ISO 14001) and social management (SA8000 as well as ISO 26000), especially into strategy development, planning, controlling and communication; - Sustainability Opportunities and Innovation - The concept of 'Continuous Improvement' - Life Cycle Costing, Life Cycle Management - environmental performance measurement of an organisation, including 'organisational LCA' (Ecobalance), based on practical examples of companies and new concepts - single score env. assessment methods (Swiss ecopoints) - stakeholder management and sustainability oriented communication - an intro into sustainability issues of supply chain management Students will get small excercises related to course issues.
Lecture notes	Part I: Slides and background reading material will be available on lecture homepage Part II: Documents will be available on Ilias
Literature	Will be made available.
Prerequisites / Notice	This course should only be elected by students of environmental engineering with a with a Module in Ecological Systems Design. All other students should take the individual courses in Advanced Environmental Assessment and/or Implementation of Environmental and other Sustainability goals (with or without exercise and lab). Basic knowledge of environmental assessment tools is a prerequisite for this class. Students who have not yet had classwork in this topic are required to read an appropriate textbook before or at the beginning of this course (e.g. Jolliet, O et al. (2016). Environmental Life Cycle Assessment. CRC Press, Boca Raton - London - New York. ISBN 978-1-4398-8766-0 (Chapters 2-5.2)).
Competencies	Subject-specific Competencies Concepts and Theories assessed Techniques and Technologies assessed Method-specific Competencies Analytical Competencies assessed Problem-solving assessed Personal Competencies Creative Thinking assessed Critical Thinking assessed

Performance assessment

Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again)
Performance assessment as a semester course
ECTS credits	5 credits
Examiners	S. Pfister, A. E. Braunschweig
Type	session examination
Language of examination	English
Repetition	The performance assessment is offered every session. Repetition possible without re-enrolling for the course unit.
Mode of examination	oral 35 minutes
Additional information on mode of examination	The oral exam lasts one hour in total. It consists of 30 min. individual, supervised preparation, and of 30 min. oral exam. Optional learning tasks in form of short exercises, distributed evenly over the semester, are offered. If 8 out of 10 exercises are solved in a meaningful and comprehensive way, a bonus of 0.25 grading points is added to the final course unit grade. This bonus expires as soon as the course is offered again.
This information can be updated until the beginning of the semester; information on the examination timetable is binding.

Learning materials

Groups

Restrictions

Offered in

Programme	Section	Type
Environmental Engineering Master	Ecological System Design	O
Environmental Engineering Master	Ecological System Design	O
Environmental Engineering Master	EM: Ecological Systems Design	W