Courses

Course Description:The course "Environmental Sociology" aims to provide the students with a comprehensive conceptual, theoretical and empirical background to the interaction between social and natural world, by way of highlighting issues related to environment, sustainable development and resource governance.Human societies throughout history have shared an intrinsic relation with nature. Environmental factors always shape social phenomena, and human societies inevitably alter natural environment. In this broader context, this course aims to explore the relationship between human society and the larger natural environment, of which it is a part of. It is now acknowledged that environmental issues are inevitably social issues, and these can be understood by an examination of their social roots. The course, therefore, attempts to understand the social roots of ecological problems, and to unveil the social responses to the environmental problems. Besides, it examines the emergence of the concept of sustainable development, environmental conflicts and movements, and various approaches to resource use and varied responses to environmental risks.While attempting to understand the relationship between social world and natural world, it explores important theoretical perspectives like Ecological Modernisation, Treadmill of Production, Risk Society Thesis and Eco-philosophies.The course gives due importance to environmental issues, concerns and debates that have emerged in India in recent years, and discusses the environmental history and the rise of environmentalism in India.Course ObjectiveThe course aims to provide the students with a sound conceptual, theoretical and empirical background to the issues of environment, sustainable development and resource management; and prepare them for further research in the area.Course Learning OutcomesAfter completion of the course, the students will be able to:Explain the main concepts, theories, debates and empirical practices on the interaction between environment and society.Differentiate between different paradigms and discourses on nature and its use by societyDescribe current theoretical and empirical debate on environmental movements and sustainable resource management practicesEvaluate policies and practices concerning environmental governance and sustainable development.Appropriately apply different theories and methodologies of research in different contexts relevant to environment and sustainable development

Explore a comprehensive environmental science course covering diverse topics including air pollution, atmospheric radiation, water resources, and sustainability. Delve into specific subjects like fly ash, ozone, plate tectonics, bio aerosols, and particle size distribution. Learn about agricultural meteorology, cloud formation, and indoor air quality. Examine the environmental impact of various pollutants and understand the importance of forest resources. Gain insights into science communication, particularly regarding climate change, and explore the ISO 14000 environmental management standards. Discover the achievements and challenges faced by women in science. Enhance your understanding of crucial environmental issues and their global implications through this extensive curriculum.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Civil Engineering, Geo-Technical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geo-Environmental Engineering. INDUSTRIES APPLICABLE TO: Those that deal with: power generation, Manufacturing, Mining, Mineral Processing, Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, Agriculture, Aquaculture, Oil and Petroleum, Dredging, ports, Landfilling, Construction, Infrastructure COURSE OUTLINE: A Consideration of technical and scientific aspects of key geo-societal issues. Case studies and analysis of current and historic databases will be used to illustrate topics including, but not limited to, impact of climate change, energy resources, water and soil pollution, and health risks posed by heavy metals and emerging pollutants.

Dear Students, I am professor L. P. Chourasia working as Honorary Professor in the department of applied geology of Dr. Harisingh Gour University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. I am going to tell you about the course entitled environmental geology. This course is based on Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) for B. Sc. Students with geology subject. The students who passed their higher secondary examination can pursue this course. It is a part of UGC curriculum as a skill enhancement course (SEC-3) of two credit and of eight week duration. The objective of this course is to make you familiar with the branch of science i. e. Environmental geology. This course offers applied aspects of geology in solving the environmental problem as you know that the environmental degradation such as water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, noise pollution, Global warming and climate change took place due to rapid growth of population, industries, agriculture and mining activities in our country. Therefore, this course becomes necessary for B. Sc. Students. It is beneficial and fruitful for the student in their competitive examinations of related organizations. Every industry and mining industry requires a environmental geologist. Thus, there are more chances to get jobs after passing this course. Therefore, I appeal to join this course and make your better career. Let us have an overview of this course. Entire course has been divided in to four units. Unit – I consists of Earth and its spheres; Unit- II has energy budget, global environmental and climate change; Unit –III deals with the geological and manmade hazards and their mitigation and Unit – IV consists of resources management, land use planning, land reclamations and energy resource management. Now I will tell you in brief about the definition and importance of environmental geology. What is environmental geology? Before I tell you definition of environmental geology I must tell you about the definition of geology. When most people hear someone mention geology, the first image that pops in to their mind is usually either someone wielding a rock hammer or someone drilling for oil. Most people do not realize that there is so much more to the field of geology than that. Geology is the branch of earth science that deals with the earths, its materials and its processes. Environmental geology is the branch of geology that is concerned with the interactions between humans and the geologic environment it is fundamentally important branch of science because it directly impacts every single person on the planet every single day. It is essentially a way of applying geologic knowledge to identify, remediate, and hopefully prevent environmental problems from occurring as a result of people. In other words, environmental geology is the application of geological information to solve conflicts of minimizing possible adverse environmental degradation or maximizing possible advantageous conditions resulting from the use of material and modified environment. It is highly important field that impacts the daily living thing on the earth. There is simply no way to avoid the environment around you. Environmental geology as a field is just as broadly reaching and interesting as geology is, with many potential phenomena and human earth interactions to research. It involves mainly the knowledge of Engineering geology, geomorphology, economic geology, mining geology and hydrogeology. Environmental geologist must have a solid understanding not only currently occurring geologic events but historical geologic events such as past earthquakes and floods. This knowledge of the past is important because it helps them to get a better idea of what types of damage occurred due to of these events. This is deferent that what a palaeontologist would do because environmental geologist are concerned with how the past is related to the present. Likewise, environmental geologist can do attempt to protect people from environmental factors beyond their control (like suggesting that they should not build home in an active flood plain.) In this course you will learn about the branch of science i.e. environmental geology. you will study about the different layers of earth such as atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere; natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides volcanoes and floods, solar energy, geothermal energy, nuclear energy; Earth heat and global budget: climate change and global warming; watershed and water resources management: weather and climate, management of natural energy resources and manmade geo-hazards. Environmental geology is a foundation course for those who want to enhance their career in disaster management. Our Purpose, to propose this course through MOOCs Programme is to make available, both the content i. e. text and video of the quality of class room teaching at the same platform. So, please join this course in the maximum possible numbers. I assure you that you will get extreme benefit by joining this course and make your academic career better.

This course is developed to teach Environmental economics to understand the fundamental concepts, subject matter, nature and scope of environmental economics and key environmental issues and problems.The objective is to develop a good understanding of market failure and externalities, Pareto efficiency, maximum social welfare and perfect competition, measures to control pollution and externalities, Pigouvian tax and subsidies, Compensation criterion, social choice and justice, property rights and Coase theorem.The purpose of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the cost of environmental growth and environmental degradation, sustainable policy approach to check environmental degradation, sustainable development approaches, green accounting, methods of environmental valuation, Environmental concerns like climate change: global warming, ozone depletion and Bio-diversity loss, policy instruments for environmental protection, environmental education , environmental awareness, environmental laws, environmental hazards and disaster management, environmental risk analysis and uncertainty, economics of recycling and waste management.Environmental economics is a discipline of economics that focus on economic effects of environmental policies around the world. It is a science focus on natural resources and efficient allocation, management including alternatives, environmental policies and environmental damages such as air, water soil pollution, solid waste management, and global warming etc.The relationship between the economy and the environment that places in context many of the activities undertaken by environmental economists, in particular, environmental policy design and implementation.The model we develop draws attention to some of the key relationships between the economy, the environment, and the varying importance attached to these relationships by the environmental economics profession.This is an exciting field of economics to study, and very much at the heart of many public debates and controversies.

Mother earth is the most Precious gift of universe; no citizen of the earth can afford to remain aloof form the issues related to the environment. The U.G.C. decided to address the issue of environment at the undergraduate level. “Environmental studies for undergraduates” is a common core module syllabus for environmental science at the undergraduate level and being used by every university in the country. The environmental core module has been integrated in to the teaching programmes of all undergraduate courses in higher education. The objective of this course is to provide knowledge about multidisciplinary nature of environment, various sources of natural energy, ecosystem, social issues and the environment, etc. Students will be evaluated upon achievement in terms of academic excellence. Students will also be able to understand about the various environmental issues and problems associated with the human population and the environment.

Learn about the economic principles and tools used to address environmental challenges in this comprehensive 4.5-hour course. Explore topics such as environmental policy instruments, valuation methods for natural resources, economic optimization of policies, and the application of economic paradigms to environmental issues. Gain insights into externality reduction strategies, cap-and-trade systems, econometrics in environmental policy, and conservation return on investment. Develop a solid understanding of how economics can be applied to solve complex environmental problems and inform effective policy decisions.

Explore environmental forensics in this 34-minute conference talk from the APS March Meeting 2013. Delve into the Kavli Foundation Special Session on Forefront Physics for Real World Problems, focusing on energy, climate, and the environment. Learn about "petroleomics" and the challenges of analyzing oil molecules. Discover how high-resolution mass spectrometry, particularly Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT-ICR), is used to establish molecular fingerprints of released oil. Understand the theoretical principles behind mass resolving power, detection methods, and space charge effects in FT-ICR. Examine the importance of cyclotron radius distribution and excitation waveform correction in analysis. Gain insights into the compositional diversity of oil and the complexity of natural organic compounds. Conclude with an introduction to the cutting-edge 21 Tesla FT-ICR magnet and its applications in environmental forensics.

What does it mean to be an environmental leader? How can we inspire others to achieve common goals to combat challenges like climate change? This short course provides an entry-level overview of timeless and timely leadership principles and how to apply them to environmental contexts in your own life. No matter your interests, age, career, or goals, you can make a difference. No prerequisites are needed for this course. To combat climate change, protect our environment, and develop sustainable communities, we must all engage in environmental leadership. Addressing today’s complex environmental issues requires us to view leadership less as a responsibility associated with any one position or person, and rather a call for collective action. Through this course, you will learn how to develop competencies and relationships that will help you work with others to understand the interconnectedness of systems and accomplish goals across boundaries. All kinds of leaders are needed to tackle the environmental and climate challenges that we face as a global society. By the end of the course, you will explore concepts of environmental leadership and how you might apply them in your own community or organization. By growing your leadership skills, you will be more fully equipped to work with others to pave the way to a just and sustainable future.

Explore the concept of environmental hypocrisy in an industrialized world through this thought-provoking TEDx talk. Discover why focusing on major environmental issues rather than isolated incidents is crucial for effective change. Learn from Jayda Hayman, an undergraduate environmental studies student at the University of Delaware, as she shares her passion for environmental activism and justice. Gain insights into the disparities faced by marginalized communities in combating climate change effects and the importance of giving voice to those affected. Understand the significance of environmental science education for children in promoting care for the natural world. Delve into the intersection of human rights and environmental neglect, and be inspired to take action on pressing environmental challenges.

Learn about environmental typography in this 23-minute lecture that explores its definition, role in bringing spaces alive, and the relationship between typography and physical environments. Discover how environmental typography can transform spaces and create meaningful visual communication within architectural and public contexts.

Environmental economics is a powerful and comprehensive approach to understanding, assessing, and addressing the world’s most pressing environmental and sustainability challenges. This course, “Environmental Economics,” provides training in the principles, conceptual frameworks, and applications of environmental economics. The course will help you develop and analyze climate policy and energy policy, and assess sustainability policy and practice. You will begin by exploring the key concepts of the sustainability economy, including market failures and externalities, like CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Learn how to use tools like benefit-cost analysis, time discounting, and environmental policy instruments to make strategic decisions in your role. Additional topics covered include the economic valuation of nonmarket environmental goods and services, specific policy instruments like CO2 cap-and-trade programs, time discounting for intertemporal decision-making, benefit-cost analysis of environmental regulations, the global energy transition to renewables, and global climate policy. By understanding both sustainable and unsustainable economic practices and activities, you’ll learn to make policy and financial decisions that have positive impacts on our planet and your organization. This is the first course in “Green Skills for a Sustainable and Just Future," a course series dedicated to shaping the next generation of sustainable practices and leadership.

Studies of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries demonstrated persistent trends in the US: race, income, and other factors predispose marginalized communities to higher toxic waste exposure and poorer quality of air, water, housing, and recreational spaces. In “Environmental Justice,” you’ll learn how these burdens have individual, interpersonal, and intergenerational effects and how environmental justice has helped mitigate these inequities In this course, you’ll learn about the historical events that have helped shape the environmental justice movements of today, and legislative victories, like the removal of lead from automotive fuels and the establishment of mandates within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to previous successes, this course will explore current work emerging in the field of environmental justice, including Indigenous sovereignty, conservation, climate and migration justice, affordable housing, policing, digital equity, disability rights, and more. This is a course within the “Green Skills for a Sustainable and Just Future," a course series dedicated to shaping the next generation of sustainable practices and leadership.

The Environmental Challenges program consists of five short online courses that look at the relationships between people and nature, and the challenging and difficult decisions we face when managing natural resources. You will see through case studies and discussions that environmental management policies not only need to be economically and environmentally sound, but they also need to be formulated with social fairness if they are to be sustainable. Accessible for free on desktop, tablet or mobile, the five courses can be taken in any order, providing a flexible way to enhance your environmental management skills and demonstrate your continuing professional development (CPD).

A consideration of technical and scientific aspects of key geo-societal issues. Case studies and analysis of current and historic databases will be used to illustrate topics including, but not limited to, impact of climate change, energy resources, water and soil pollution, and health risks posed by heavy metals and emerging pollutants.Upon successful completion of this course, the student would:• Have an exposure to interdisciplinary issues pertaining to environment and geotechnical engineering.• Be trained to develop sustainable and environmentally sound solutions for geoenvironmental issues.Understand the relevance of various legal aspects involved in addressing environmental consequences associated with geotechnical issuesINTENDED AUDIENCE : Civil engineering, Geotechnical engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geoenvironmental EngineeringPREREQUISITES : Basics in Geotechnical EngineeringINDUSTRY SUPPORT : • Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai• Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Navi Mumbai• Reliance Industries Limited, Mumbai• Hindustan Lever Limited, Mumbai• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi• Hindalco Industries Pvt. Ltd.• Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi• Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi• Municipal Corporations• Landfill operators• Mining Industries

The course deals with the fundamentals and critical analysis of chemical processes one encounters in the field of Environmental Engineering. The course deals with:• Application of equilibrium equations and material balance equations to calculate conditions in environmental systems at equilibrium using the concept of components.• Use of chemical equilibrium programs such as VMINTEQ to calculate conditions in environmental systems at equilibrium• Application of kinetic equations, stoichiometric relationships and material balances to calculate conditions in environmental systems in which reactions occur that are not at equilibrium.• Application of fundamental aspects of thermodynamics to describe equilibrium conditions in environmental systems.• Defining equilibrium and kinetic limitations as relating to environmental systems and the relative importance of each for chemical processes in environmental systems.• Knowledge of important terminology for chemical processes occurring in environmental systemsINTENDED AUDIENCE :Environmental engineering professionals and students pursuing a degree with emphasis in Environmental engineeringPREREQUISITES :Entry level chemistry courseINDUSTRIES SUPPORT :CPCB, SPCB, Degremont, ERM, Ramky Enviro Engineers, Veolia Water, SFC Environmental Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Nalco Water, VA Tech Wabag, Ther

Understand why ethics and morality are important in environmentalism Environmentalism and climate change issues are typically seen today through a purely scientific lens. While natural sciences play a critical role, the reason people disagree on the climate crisis is due to deeper ethical and moral differences. This five-week course from the Adam Smith Centre will introduce you to environmental ethics as well as different perspectives to uncover the link between ethics and environmentalism. By the end of the course, you’ll understand how morality and ethics drive environmental activism. Discover how scientific facts and ideas are interpreted through a moral lens Climate change and other environmental issues originate at a scientific level. We are presented with facts and data about our ecosystem, and we have the responsibility to make a difference. However, it is our moral and ethical principles that drive the action itself. On this course, you’ll examine how moral beliefs can provoke a sense of responsibility or environmental consciousness, and how this spurs activism. Explore humanist, modernist, and other environmental perspectives There are various schools of thought surrounding environmentalism, each with distinct ideologies and approaches to environmental solutions. You’ll examine contrasting perspectives to analyse how ethics influences each approach. With this knowledge, you’ll also expand your own views and find an approach that aligns with your beliefs. Recognise humanity’s role in repairing the natural environment Examining the causes of climate change, it is clear that humanity has contributed to the state of our environment. By exploring different ideologies such as deep ecology and eco-socialism, you’ll develop an intrinsic understanding of how humanity can repair this damage and create a more sustainable future. This course is designed for students pursuing studies in environmentalism, economics, business, public policy, and other socio-economic fields. It will also be beneficial for professionals in the sustainability, public policy, public or private sectors.

ABOUT THE COURSE: It has been widely acknowledged that finding solutions to environmental problems that we are facing now has become a top priority. To this end, the proposed course aims to (i) provide deep insights into contemporaryglobal environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspectivewithin the framework of sustainable development; (ii) apply a globalapproach to emphasize how environmental problems are highlycomplex and interrelated, requiring understanding on a local, regional,national, and global level; and (iii) critically evaluate possiblesolutions to our present global environmental crises in a holisticmanner.INTENDED AUDIENCE: Undergraduate students pursuing a degree in science OR engineering, with an emphasis on the following disciplines: • Environmental Engineering • Civil Engineering • Chemical Engineering • Biotechnology • Agriculture Engineering • Mining EngineeringPREREQUISITES: Class XIIINDUSTRY SUPPORT: AECOM, Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd., Environmental Resource Management, Veolia Water Technologies, SFC Environmental Technologies Pvt. Ltd., ARCADIS SENES, Nalco Water,Govt. Agencies like CPCB, SPCB, etc.

The Introduction to Environmental Science course explores the field of environmental science and encourages participants to understand how environmental scientists think. It addresses some important questions such as: 1. What is the difference between environmental science and environmental studies? 2. How do both differ from environmentalism? 3. Why is energy so important in environmental science? 4. What do you mean by biodiversity? You will also explore what global cycles are and how they impact our lives. You must be aware that the human impact on biodiversity and global change are two of the most important discussion points in environmental science. Have you ever wondered how we are affecting global change and biodiversity? How can we reconcile human population growth, resource demands and sustainability? The effects of global change on humans and natural ecosystems and additional factors in evaluating personal environmental impact will also be discussed in this course.

The Environmental Biotechnology course aims to introduce and elaborate the fundamental concepts and applications of biotechnology in all aspects of environment including its protection, restoration and sustainability. Considering the rising challenges of climate change, energy and environmental crisis, this course will emphasize upon the recent development of biotechnology for harnessing microbial potential in environmental applications. The course is structured to provide the students with fundamental concepts of environmental biotechnology, highlighting the importance of microbial ecology, their metabolism, methods for their characterization and scopes for implementation. Bioremediation and biodegradation principles, processes and applications will be discussed along with advanced applications in wastewater, oil recovery, biohydrometallurgy, biofuel, carbon storage and capture, etc. This course will offer the students a broad sense of understanding on how modern biotechnology is developed to achieve better environmental protection and sustainability through the use of microbes and microbial communities in pollution abatement to mitigation of climate change, bioenergy, biomaterial to enzyme discovery. .INTENDED AUDIENCE :B Sc. (Biosciences, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Botany, Any other branches of Life Sciences); M Sc. (Biotechnology / Life Sciences/ Environmental Sciences); B Tech (Biotechnology/Bioengineering)PRE-REQUISITE :Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics/Genomics SUPPORTED INDUSTRIES :Tata Consultancy Services, India; Tata Steel, India; ERM, India; ONGC, India; Aerobic Biotaxy India “Private” Limited, India Mining and Oil companies