Description

Course Objective:
This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to providing graduate students from diverse backgrounds with an understanding of:

• how humans affect global flows of energy and materials;
• the ways in which such flows are currently and prospectively a challenge for sustaining the Earth's life-support capability and social cohesion;
• thermodynamic, technological, geological and biological options for changing the character of these flows toward greater sustainability;
• potential implications of these options from an ecological, economic and social perspective; and
• institutional and policy mechanisms (local, regional, national and global) for fostering these options.

Course Content:
The course has three main components.

1. Defining and understanding the flows of energy and materials and their relation to global balances and definitions of sustainability. Includes energy sources, energy and material flows, thermal-dynamic, geo-chemical, biological, sociological concepts of sustainability.
2. Analytical techniques and concepts for goal setting with respect to energy and material sustainability. Includes ecological footprint, the Natural Step, Factor 4 / Factor 10 and other assessment tools.
3. Institutional and policy mechanisms for initiating and implementing some of the key new techniques and concepts. Includes concepts of integrated resource planning, pricing strategies, social policy, tax shift strategies, voluntary mechanisms and more.

Learning outcomes

• Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between energy and materials flows in a complex, global system in the context of sustainability.
• Students will be able to evaluate sustainability options using a number of assessment tools and be able to critique both the assessment methods and the outcomes of their application.
• Students will be able to review and critique policies designed to enhance sustainability options and will obtain insight into the development of policies and programs to address sustainability issues.

Assessment

Book review (6 pgs max) 20%
Term paper (15 pgs max) 40%
Exam on Concepts 15%
Class participation (includes presentation on technology, process or concepts) 25%

Instructor

John Nyboer (Canada) earned a BSc in Zoology and Education and worked as a high school teacher for 11 years. Dr. Nyboer earned his MSc from Simon Fraser University's Resource and Environmental Management (REM) program in Energy Policy and Energy Management, and later earned a Ph.D. in the same field. As a university research associate, he acts as the Executive Director of the Energy and Materials Research Group (EMRG) in REM. The research group does extensive and detailed modeling of energy and material flows in Canada. Presently, the work is focused on greenhouse gas issues including the current debate surrounding Canada's next steps for emissions reduction. He is co-author of a book in this issue called "The Cost of Climate Policy". As Executive Director of Canadian Industrial Energy End-use Data and Analysis Centre, (CIEEDAC), housed at SFU, Dr. Nyboer has developed an international reputation on the development and use of energy data and assessing energy.

Guest lecturer

Further reading