Undergraduate Courses 2018-19

This is a year-long seminar series designed to help freshmen year students adapt to university life. Topics such as learning and time management skills, purpose of university education, and planning for personal and career development will be covered. For EVMT students in their first year of study only. Graded P or F.

This course is intended for UG students of all backgrounds. The course will cover concepts in environmental health including topics on outdoor and indoor environments, workplace, water and sewage, food, genetically modified organism, solid waste, communicable diseases, vectors and control, injury prevention, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, nanomaterials, environmental health standards, monitoring methods, energy related health issues, natural and manmade disasters, etc. The discussions on each of these topics will include nature of the issue, known and potential health effects, control and regulatory approaches. Local and regional examples will be used where applicable.

This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between society and the environment. The class will examine the social, technological and environmental impacts of human societies past to present. This will include evaluating select environmental issues, such as climate change, from economic, social, scientific, business and health points of view. For students in their first and second year of study or those with approval from instructor for enrolling in the course.

This course examines threats to our civilization's sustainability. What does science tell us about these threats? How does our consumption and lifestyle drive these threats? What can we, as citizens, do to make our civilization more sustainable? At the end of the course, students should be able to provide a balanced and accurate explanation of the scientific issues and the action we can take. For students in their first and second year of study or those with approval from instructor for enrolling in the course.

This course is about developing systems thinking skills to solve complex environmental problems. Systems thinking emphasizes the “big picture”, linkages and interactions. Through an activity-based course students will develop systems diagramming skills, concepts and find unconventional solutions for complex environmental problems.

The choices we make in daily life - the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the products and services we use - define our lifestyle. Many people intend to consume in a sustainable manner, but with vague “green promises,” complex ingredient lists, and opaque production processes, we often do not know what is inside the products we use and how they were made. This course will investigate the ingredients hidden in everyday products and explore features that make them unsustainable by applying a product life-cycle approach. The course will also provide insights into the factors that influence our consumption and give students opportunities (through small exercises, activities, and discussions) to explore ways in which smart consumption can be promoted and in which consumer-felt responsibility for sustainability can be increased. For students in their first and second year of study or those with approval from instructor for enrolling in the course.

As the extreme weather events emerge as one of the most prominent global risks, climate change and the accompanying natural disasters are no longer a side agenda, but play a critical role in maintaining sustainable societies and economies. This course aims to inspire students to take a broader perspective on environmental issues, in addition to advancing the scientific knowledge of climate change and extreme weather. To effectively achieve this purpose, the course introduces the case studies that emphasize the huge implications of extreme events (e.g. drought, flood, heat waves, typhoon) and their linkage with the warming due to greenhouse gases. This course also assesses the potential impacts of climate changes and extremes on social, economic and environmental sustainability through a multidisciplinary approach.

Big History as an emerging interdisciplinary framework, provides a long term perspective to see the world through reconstructing the history from the big bang all the way to the present. In such a longer time scale, overview of stars, planetary and species evolution, as well as concepts in climate change and how it is related to sustainability of the planet’s environment for its current inhabitants, including humanity, will be discussed. The physical science basis, impacts, risk, mitigation and adaptation measures of climate change will also be investigated (including technical and social solutions). For local and regional vulnerabilities, such as extreme weather events, sea-levels rise, storm surge and coastal flooding, will be covered. The significance of collective learning under the big history framework, both as a driver for our exponentially growing impacts, as well as for better solutions, will be highlighted.

The course is a study trip that will provide students with the opportunity to travel with a faculty member to various study sites that have a diversity of environmental or sustainability issues and see and discuss issues at the site with practitioners. The course will require students to prepare a presentation on one particular site and write a reflective report on their experience. Approval from instructor is needed for enrolling in the course. The course may be repeated once for credit if the study sites are different. Grade P or F.

This is the first course of the series designed to assist students in developing attributes necessary for professional growth. This course is a one-year course designed to provide academic advising to students, to enhance their understanding of the latest environment topics, and to improve their communication skills. Students are required to attend discussion sessions with advisors and selected seminars. For EVMT students only. Graded P or F.

Selected topics of current interest in environmental studies. May be repeated for credit, if the topics studied are different. Graded letter grade or P/F subject to different offerings.

Understanding our environment, including the ecology, biodiversity and cycles of environmental ecosystems, human environmental impacts such as climate change, energy use, chemical toxicology, waste disposal, water and air pollution; conservation; exploration of new green technologies to reduce impacts, environmental law and changes in policies to ensure sustainability. Case studies through group projects.

The course is aimed at providing students with insights in how to deal with environmental problems and the way in which science interfaces with policies. It will cover major topics on the sources of air pollutions, air chemistry, oxidation of organic compounds and issues on control of air pollutant emissions and air quality management.

Material and energy balance provides a quantitative account for materials and/or energy redistribution when changes happen. It is a tool which can be used to predict or solve practical problems like pollution control and management, product life-cycle analysis and management of resources (e.g. energy, food and water) for sustainable development. This course will introduce students to the fundamental principles of material and energy balance as applicable to environmental management. Covered topics include pollution control and treatment and industrial/building energy management. For EVMT students only.

In today's world more and more marketing claims promise "green" and "eco-friendly" products. Yet, to interpret how "green" a product is, or how a product's environmental performance can be improved, one needs to consider all environmental impacts that occur along the product's life-cycle. This class is for students to gain an overview of environmental impacts of products and production systems and how they can be quantified through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In this course, we will explore relevant concepts and provide training in LCA software, equipping students with foundational skills which can be applied to their own projects in the future. The class also aims to explore how lifecycle thinking and LCA can contribute to a shift towards a circular economy.

This course introduces students to basic theories and findings in environmental and health economics. The emphasis is on how the economic models and concepts can be used to analyze environmental and health issues. The course begins with an introduction of theoretical economic concepts and models; then it moves on to several policy-relevant environmental and health topics. Particular issues include externality, common goods and public goods, valuation of environmental goods and health, market failure and health, environmental regulations, pollution and health, and the economics of climate change. For students in their first and second year of study or those with approval from instructor for enrolling in the course.

This course is the second of two study trip courses directed at Division of Environment and Sustainability students in their second or third years of study. The course is a study trip that will provide students with the opportunity to travel with a faculty member to various study sites that have a diversity of environmental or sustainability issues and see and discuss issues at the site with practitioners. Students will prepare an in-depth presentation on one particular site and prepare a reflective report on their experience. Approval from instructor is needed for enrolling in the course. The course may be repeated once for credit if the study sites are different. Graded P or F.

The internship/service learning provides students a first-hand understanding of interconnected sectors of environment, business and society. Students will be working in teams enabling them to practice teamwork, communication and professional skills. The internship is a structured professional work experience in which students can apply their knowledge to problems and situations relevant to their professional preparation. Service learning benefits students by providing the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills to improve our community and solve real-world community problems as well as civic problems. The credit may be earned part-time during summer months. Students are required to take a pre-internship/service orientation session. May be repeated for credits if different topics are taken, but the total credits may not exceed two. Instructor's approval is required for enrollment in the course. Graded P or F.

This is second course of the series designed to assist students in developing attributes necessary for professional growth. This course is a one-year course designed to provide academic advising to students, to enhance their understanding of the latest environment topics, and to improve their communication skills. Students are required to attend discussion sessions with advisors and selected seminars. For EVMT students only. Graded P or F.

The course mainly consists of two parts: atmospheric physics and atmospheric chemistry. Atmospheric physics topics include evolution of the earth’s atmosphere, introduction to the atmospheric structure, composition, dynamics, thermodynamics, circulation, and weather patterns. Atmospheric chemistry topics include tropospheric chemistry, air pollution chemistry and toxicity, greenhouse gases and climate change, stratospheric chemistry and ozone depletion. For EVMT students and students with consent from the course instructor only.

This is an introduction to Green Buildings and their Energy Management. The course will consider Green Building attributes together with their economic, social and environmental impacts. Emphasis will be given to their energy conservation and resulting Carbon Dioxide emission reductions. For students in their second year of study and above.

Selected topics of current interest in environmental studies. May be repeated for credit, if the topics studied are different. Graded letter grade or P/F subject to different offerings.

Sustainable development integrates improvements in human welfare with improvements in the health of the environment. It is societies attempt to solve the degradation that economic and social development has imposed on the environment. To solve environmental crises such as climate change, pollution, or destruction of biodiversity we need to integrate environmental practices into all our activities, pulling together new technologies, lifestyles, economic theories and business practices, and government policies. This course looks at how this process of integration works at the international, national, and municipal levels and from the organization perspectives of different industrial sectors, businesses, and communities.

This course emphasizes on the fundamental science and engineering principles of the innovation, design, development and application of environmental technologies for conservation and pollution abatement. The course covers both existing and emerging environmental technologies for the sustainable development including energy conservation and renewable energies, carbon neutral lifestyle, green building, manufacturing and processing, technologies for improved air, water, soil qualities, waste reduction and reuse, etc.

This course provides a non-technical overview of energy resources and their usage with a focus on policy issues and options related to ensuring adequate future supplies at acceptable prices and limiting environmental impacts. Environmental impacts will be considered primary with respect to air pollution, but also as appropriate, with attention to water quality and quantity impacts, and land degradation resulting from energy extraction, conversion, and use. Concerns about potential resource exhaustion (e.g. peak oil), future prices, climate change (and strains on other planetary boundaries) will also be considered.

This is a course about new strategic opportunities arising from environmental risks. Public and regulatory demand for environmental products and services must co-exist with the corporate institutions of maximizing shareholder wealth. This course examines both the theoretical and practical issues that arise in attempting to balance the health of the natural environment with value creation. Is there an inherent conflict between the institutions of business and our ability to care for the environment? What competitive opportunities are created for firms and what do they have to do to seize these opportunities? The lessons from the course will be of interest to both students of strategy and the environment.

This course begins with a brief review of key economic principles (e.g., economic as distinct from engineering efficiency, comparing benefits and costs at the margin, discounting). It then moves on more in-depth treatments of areas that are the focus of environmental economics. These include externalities, common property resources, market failure, ‘valuation’ of un-priced impacts of economic activity, and policy instruments for controlling pollution and other forms of environmental degradation. Throughout the course, the emphasis is on fostering an intuitive understanding of the topics and how they relate to real world decision making. For EVMT students only.

The course will provide students with the basic legal concepts which include the hierarchy of courts in Hong Kong, the difference between civil and criminal proceedings and their possible redresses or remedies available from the courts. Important provisions of the basic environmental legislation in Hong Kong, environmental prosecution policy of Hong Kong and how to investigate a judicial review against a ministerial decision relating to the environment will also be covered in the course.

Selected topics of current interest in environmental studies. May be repeated for credit, if the topics studied are different. Graded letter grade or P/F subject to different offerings.

This is the third course of the series designed to assist students in developing attributes necessary for professional growth. This course is a 2-semester course designed to provide academic advising to students, to enhance their understanding of the latest environment topics, and to improve their communication skills. Students are required to attend discussion sessions with advisors and selected seminars. For EVMT students only. Graded P or F.

Faculty directed independent study of selected topics in Environmental issues. For EVMT students and students with consent from the instructor. Graded P or F.

The course provides an introduction to the planning process in the public sector. Fundamental planning concepts, historical overview of planning, and planning methods comprise the first part of the course. These basic ideas will be followed by application of these principles to problems in urban and regional contexts. Specific topics include the legal basis for planning, land use planning and zoning, transportation planning, economic development, and environmental planning. In additional to conceptual considerations and application, attention will be given to the planning for sustainable development; strategies for conservation and management of critical natural resources; environmental ethics in land use development. For EVMT students and students with consent from the instructor.

A critical issue for green business is managing technology-driven innovation to create sustainable competitive advantage. Major topics include: how the innovation process works; managing innovation; creating entrepreneurial companies; coping with strategic challenges facing innovators; new venture management. Students will develop their own green business plan. For EVMT students and students with consent from the instructor.

This course covers systems for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) management and reporting but with a strong focus on accounting and reporting on environmental aspects. It looks at (1) assessing an organization's impact on society and the natural environment; (2) establishing procedures for managing, accounting for and reporting significant impacts; and (3) assessing and improving performance. The course covers case studies on problems and good practice. This is about how companies can both enhance their value and make human civilization more sustainable.

This course will cover a board spectrum of concepts and practices in Geographical Information System (GIS). It starts with the fundamental concepts and elements in geographic science and technology. Spatial data modeling and integration methods will then be discussed followed by various geospatial analysis approaches for both vector and raster data. Cartographic principles, spatial relationships, projection and coordinate systems will be discussed in-depth. During the course, students will be introduced to contemporary GIS software and apply GIS technology to support local and regional environmental planning and management. For EVMT students and students with consent from the instructor.

Climate models are the complex mathematical representation of the major climate system components (e.g. atmosphere, ocean, land surface, etc) and their interactions. Climate models have proved to be the most valuable tools in understanding climate processes that determine the response of the climate system to anthropogenic forcings, such as increases in greenhouse gases concentrations and land use changes. This course provides an introduction to the physical principles of climate model as well as all procedures related to climate modeling. Some classes will be taught in the computer laboratory, where students will perform their own simulations using web-based climate model and analyze the results. In addition, this course explores the challenge of understanding and managing the risks of climate extremes.

This is a year-long seminar series presented by faculty members and guest speakers on selected topics in environmental management and technology. For EVMT students only. Graded P or F.

Each EVMT student is required to complete a capstone project before graduation. This is the first course of a two-term project in which the student can synthesize and apply knowledge from their courses. The project is conducted under the supervision of a faculty member.

Continuation of ENVR 4980.