Students:
* Identify the various sustainable develoment approaches;
* Understand the main ideas of selected (historic) sustainable develoment publications/authors;
* Explore the human impact on the earth system;
* Understand the micro-economic and macro-economic approach toward sustainable develoment;
* Reflect on the need for socio-ecological systems thinking

Sustainable development means different things to different people. The most frequently quoted definition is from the Brundtland report 'Our Common Future': "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Many other definitions and interpretations can be found in existing literature. Most of these definitions imply an appropriate balance between economic, ecological and social developments, the achievement of human well-being for all, and the balance between current and future generations, and between local and global developments. In general, sustainable development refers to the understanding that inaction has consequences and that innovative ways are needed to deal with the important economic, social and ecological trade-offs involved.

This course critically explores the fundamentals of sustainable development. It has particular attention to the history of (the main ideas underlying) sustainable development and explores some of the most important concepts, theories, and milestone publications regarding the environment-economy-society interface from various disciplines. Throughout the course, students will discuss sustainable development in relation to its challenges for (sustainability) science and policy-making.

* E-reader
* Climate change: a very short introduction/ Mark Maslin/ Third Edition OCTOBER 2014/ 9780198719045 (PLEASE CHECK WHETHER ISBN NUMBER IS CORRECT)/ Paperback | 2014 |Oxford University Press

Exchange students should refer to the International Relations Office via email in case they would like to register for this course: iro-incoming-sbe@maastrichtuniversity.nl. Only limited spots available, first-come first-serve principle.

* Sustainable development
* Brundtland report
* Ethics of sustainable development
* Changing perspective on environment (incl. Anthropocene)
* Biogeochemical cycles
* Planetary boundaries
* Environmental externalities
* Tragedy of the commons
* Ecological economics (incl. steady-state-economy, Doughnut economy)
* Climate change (science)