ESOH 245 Sustainability: The Human Footprint – Global Environmental Change in the Anthropocene

This course is a study of human impact on our larger biophysical environment; an impact that has grown to the point where we are now living in the ‘Anthropocene’, an era in which humans have become a key driver in the Earth’s system. The course will focus on the ways in which humans modify and interfere with the functioning of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, the atmosphere, the lithosphere, and the hydrosphere. The course will explore human population growth and environmental problems as these have evolved over time. The fundamental objective of the course is to provide students with a modern perspective on our growing human population, the increasing demands for resources to supply our consumptive economy, and the impact of local, regional, and global pollution.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

ESOH 140