Environment and Resource Management
Specializations
Energy Studies
Courses:
- Sustainable Energy Analysis
- Energy System Transitions
This specialization aims to acquaint students with both the technological aspects and the policy processes associated with sustainable energy governance. It consists of two courses. The course Sustainable Energy Analysis focuses on the technological choices in the energy field. The course Energy System Transitions focuses on transitions to a sustainable energy future.
Focus of this specialization
Energy governance is complex in that neither technologies alone, nor governments alone can ensure the transition towards sustainable energy governance. Nor will such a transition result through autonomous processes. The energy governance part of the course focuses on the cultural and institutional transformations needed to ensure industrial transition and transformation in the direction of sustainable energy production, transport and use. Notions related to stakeholder participation and experimenting with back casting are critical elements in this course.
Students participating in this specialization:
- will learn about existing technologies and policy approaches
- will learn to apply the new knowledge in specific analysis
- should be able to form a judgment about specific combinations of energy choices made by policymakers
- and be able to communicate the positive and negative aspects of such energy choices.
Climate and Water Policy
Courses:
- Climate & Policy
- Water & Policy
Climate & Policy
The climate and policy course focuses on the scientific controversies in the climate change issue and focuses on the historical, political, legal, economic, and policy aspects of the climate change problem from local through to global level. Understanding the market mechanisms that are expected to pay a key role here is a major challenge.
Water & Policy
The objective of the Water & Policy course is to understand how water related processes such as floods and droughts influence our society and what role water management plays in addressing and tackling these issues. This course aims to provide students a multi-disciplinary understanding of water management, including the physical dimensions of the problem, the policy, law and long term trends such as climate change and land use change.
Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity
Courses:
- Value of Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity
- Governance of Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity
Concept of ecosystem services
The concept of ecosystem services has become popular after the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005). It introduced the term to underline the inextricable linkages between biodiversity, ecosystems and human well-being. Ecosystem services are ‘the benefits people obtain from ecosystems’ and by putting ecosystem services central in the debate on nature conservation, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment stressed the societal benefits of nature conservation and the need to align conservation and development goals.
Focus of Value of Ecosystem Services
The course on Value of Ecosystem Services focuses on an understanding of what specific services are provided by which component of ecosystems, how these are linked to specific elements of biodiversity and the problems arising from scaling and multiple roles. It will then continue to methods to assess values with economic and cultural models and views.
Focus of Governance of Ecosystem Services
The course on Governance of Ecosystem Services aims to maintain ecosystem service provision levels in the long run. This requires that biodiversity is protected, and that the public good externalities associated with the use of ecosystem services are sufficiently managed.
Environmental Studies
This specialization offers the student the opportunity to mix and match different courses at IVM and elsewhere within VU University Amsterdam but to specialize with a definite focus on environmental sciences. The student can study energy transitions and climate and policy; water and ecosystem services; or courses outside IVM such as environmental remote sensing; ecohydrology or the workshop in governance for sustainable development. The choice depends on the specific commitment and interests of the student.Course descriptions
Online information regarding this Master's programme and course descriptions are available at:
