| Responsible Department | Department of Agriculture and Ecology
47 % Forest & Landscape 14 % Institute of Food and Resource Economics 28 % Department of Basic Science and Environment 11 % | ||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year to MSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||
| Duration | Two blocks | ||||||||||||
| Credits | 15 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||
| Level of Course | MSc | ||||||||||||
| Examination | Continuous Assessment written examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: Students will be assessed on the basis of: i) completion of exercises throughout the course (questionaaires, assignments and discussions) and ii) a final 24 hours written exam conduted via the internat (estimated workload 8 hours) Weight: 50% exercises 50% written exam 7-point scale, internal examiner | ||||||||||||
| Requirement for Attending Exam | All team assignments in the course mst be completed | ||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Internet based E-learning modules with weekly deadlines. The course can be followed from anywhere in the world (internet access is required). | ||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 1 Week Structure: Outside schedule, except for week 35 (All day Thursday and Friday) where students and teachers will meet at the Faculty of Life Sciences, Copenhagen University. Block 2 Week Structure: Outside schedule | ||||||||||||
| Language of Instruction | English | ||||||||||||
| Restrictions | 90 | ||||||||||||
| Course Content | |||||||||||||
| Environmental Management in Europe is an interdisciplinary E-learning course offered by the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen (LIFE) with contributions from the Swedish University of Agricultutal Sciences, the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna, the University of Hohenheim and the European Environment Agency. It is open for MSc students from Denmark, other countries in EU and the rest of the world. The focus of the course is environmental management of natural resources (soil, water, air and biodiversity) from a European perspective. The European Union (EU) sets the policy frame for almost all environmental regulation in the member states. This frame determines both the possibilities and the limitations for carrying out environmental management and developing environmental solutions in EU. In the first part of the course the concept of environmental management and the e-learning platform used in the course is introduced. A short overview of the history of environmental management, European natural resources and the current state of the environment in EU is given. Environmental ethics and sustainability concepts are discussed in relation to the value systems of different stakeholders in EU environmental policy. There will be an introduction to EU law (legislation, principles and procedures), EU environmental policy instruments(command and control and economic incentives), and EU environmental policy measures (strategies and action plans). The role of different EU institutions in the creation of environmental policy is discussed. In the second part of the course various tools and resources for environmental management are introduced. The tools include environmental monitoring, assessment, modelling, valuation and accounting. The resources include environmental research, knowledge and data centres in EU. The students learn how to use these resources as well as other sources of information about environmental issues. The current principles and practices for environmental monitoring and assessment in EU are discussed. Water management is central since water quality and quantity serve as an integrated measure of pollutant loads from agriculture, industries and households. The third and major part of the course features a number of case studies based on actual EU environmental policy initiatives (e.g. the Water Framework Directive, Natura 2000 and the Climate Change Strategy). It is investigated how these initiatives originated and how they are implemented from the EU level to the national, regional and local levels. The scientific and political background for the different initiatives are analysed and discussed. It is investigated how environmental assessment and economic tools are used to support decision-making and evaluate environmental policies.It is investigated how EU directives are interpreted and implemented in the different member states and how national legislation is adjusted to meet the new demands. The environmental, economic and social consequences are discussed. In this discussion the Water Framework Directive is central, since it links to a number of other EU directives. It is discussed how EU environmental policy, directly and indirectly, promotes the development of new environmental technologies and more sustainable management practices in both industry and agriculture. Note 1: In week no. 35 (all day Thursday and Friday) all students will meet at LIFE to get to know each other, meet the teachers, learn about the E-learning system, and visit the European Environmental Agency in Copenhagen. Note 2: Students may follow the course in the first or second year of their Master programme, e.g. as a part of the Basic Semester Package in the European MSc in Environmental Science (see www.enveuro.eu) | |||||||||||||
| Teaching and learning Methods | |||||||||||||
| Internet based E-learning modules (E-modules) with weekly deadlines. Each E-module is composed of 1) an introduction 2) an overview of the purpose, the subjects and the lessons learned, 3)a short study guide 4) Learning resources (which can be text, audio and/or video files) and 5) several exercises called E-lessons. The E-lesssons are online learning activities which can be either multiple-choice questionnaires, assignments or discussions. The role of the teachers are to assist student learning by serving as E-moderators for the various E-lessons. | |||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||
| The aim of the course is to provide a solid understanding of how environmental management in Europe is applied at different scales, from the EU level to the national, regional and local levels. Focus is on environmental management of soil, water, air and biodiversity. After completing the course the student should be able to: Knowledge: - Summarise the background, the fundamental principles and the managerial approaches embedded in EU environmental law - Identify how different tools and resources for environmental management can be used to acquire knowledge about the state of the environment and solve environmental problems - Describe how insight and skills in natural sciences are used together with economics, law and planning in contributing to contemporary environmental management - Reflect about own environmental ethics, and how environmental ethics and sustainability concepts of different stakeholders affect actual environmental policy in the EU. Skills: - Apply environmental management tools and resources to analyse environmental policy initiatives - Compare the implementation of environmental policies in different EU member states Competences: - Cooperate and work independently with environmental management in the context of environmental policy - Discuss how environmental management in Europe is applied at different scales, from the EU level to the national, regional and local levels | |||||||||||||
| Course Literature | |||||||||||||
| Course material consists of selected scientific articles and book chapters as well as audio and video files. A compendium will be available at the start of the semester. | |||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||
| Christian Bugge Henriksen, cbh@life.ku.dk, Department of Agriculture and Ecology/Environment, Resources and Technology, Phone: 353-33529 | |||||||||||||
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