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PLANTS AND ENVIRONMENT

Module A

Syllabus

EN IT

Learning Objectives

Scientific part
Our planet is changing rapidly. The climate is also changing. In recent decades, the human population has grown and its demand for energy, food and space has increased. Can plants help us? How? This course addresses the relationship between climate, plants and humans and the risks and consequences of climate change on vegetation and flora.
Brief history of the Earth's climate and the spread of plant species
According to recent WHO guidelines, air quality in urban areas will also be considered.
What impact on human health? How to mitigate the effects of air pollution and climate change in the urban environment?
The IPCC report and the document on the care of our common home will be used for the course.
Possible strategies, methodologies and innovative policies. To provide students with a common understanding of the dynamics of biological life and the relationship with the human presence on earth.
Environmental global governance part
issues will be introduced: UN Agenda 20230 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals; Climate and Biodiversity UN Conventions; Natural Capital and Ecosystems Services; going beyond GDP, Limits to Growth and Planetary Boundaries; economic and market-based instruments; the European Green Deal and National Resilience & Recovery Plans, the American IRA

ALESSANDRO TRAVAGLINI

Prerequisites

For the Environmental Global Governance part, it is useful to have passed one of the following courses: Microeconomics, Political Economy, Economic Policy, Public Finance, Environmental Economics, Sustainable Development Economics.

Program

Topic 1 Climate on Earth (2 hours)
Topic 2 Distribution of climate on Earth: causes of distribution. Biogeochemical cycles;
History of climate (3 hours).
Topic 3 Tropical evergreen forest, tropical deciduous forest, Desert and barren (3 hours)
Topic 4 Temperate evergreen forest, mixed wood (3 hours)
Topic 5 Boreal wood, grassland and steppe Tundra (3 hours)
Topic 6 Urban environments; climate and health (2 hours)
Topic 7 Air quality in urban area: type and measures of air pollutants (2 hours)
Topic 8 Climate change effects on environment; innovative agriculture; presentation ppt (12 hours)
Topic 9 The UN-FCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the Paris Agreement (2 hours)
Topic 10 The UN-CBD (UN Convention on Biological Diversity) and the Aichi Targets (2h)
Topic 11 The UN Agenda 2030 and its 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) (2h)
Topic 12 The concept and attempts to measure Natural Capital & Ecosystems Services (2h)
Topic 13 Economic and market-based instruments for supporting environmental and sustainable development policy (2 hours)
Topic 14 Going Beyond GDP, the Club of Rome’s Limits to Growth and the Rockstroem’s Planetary Boundaries (2 hours)
Topic 15 The original American New Deal (1929 crisis), the European Green New Deal and NRRPs, and the American Inflation Reduction Act (1 hour)
Topic 16 Green and Sustainable Finance (1 hour)

Books

For Topics 1-8:
Hand-outs, report and scientific papers will be distributed. Readings from web:
- http://www.ipcc.ch/index.htm
- http://www.climatescienceandpolicy.eu
A Cultural History of Climate - Wolfgang Behringer
For Topics 9-16, beyond slides used for lectures:
A) Anders Wijkman e Johan Rockström (2012), “Bankrupting Nature: Denying Our Planetary BoundariesA Report to the Club of Rome”, Earthscan-Routledge; available also in Italian: Anders Wijkman e Johan Rockström (2014), “Natura in bancarotta: Perché rispettare i limiti del pianeta - Rapporto al Club di Roma”, Edizioni Ambiente.
and one of the following:
B) Claude Henry, Johan Rockström, Nicholas Stern (eds.) (2020), "Standing up for a sustainable world", Elgar.
C) Partha Dasgupta (2021). The economics of biodiversity - The Dasgupta Review. London: HM Treasury.
D) Gianfranco Bologna (2022). "Noi siamo natura". Milano: Edizioni Ambiente.

Bibliography

For Topics 1-8:
Hand-outs, report and scientific papers will be distributed. Readings from web:
- http://www.ipcc.ch/index.htm; - http://www.climatescienceandpolicy.eu
A Cultural History of Climate - Wolfgang Behringer
For Topics 9-16:
A) Anders Wijkman e Johan Rockström (2012), “Bankrupting Nature: Denying Our Planetary BoundariesA Report to the Club of Rome”, Earthscan-Routledge; available also in Italian: Anders Wijkman e Johan Rockström (2014), “Natura in bancarotta: Perché rispettare i limiti del pianeta - Rapporto al Club di Roma”, Edizioni Ambiente.
and one of the following:
B) Claude Henry, Johan Rockström, Nicholas Stern (eds.) (2020), "Standing up for a sustainable world", Elgar.
C) Partha Dasgupta (2021). The economics of biodiversity - The Dasgupta Review. London: HM Treasury.
D) Gianfranco Bologna (2022). "Noi siamo natura". Milano: Edizioni Ambiente.

Teaching methods

The course will be carried out through lectures and power point presentations. Students will prepare short presentations on different topics. Each presentation, in class, will be followed by discussion. One field trip is planned - financial resources allowing - in innovative farms.

Exam Rules

For assessment purposes, the following scheme will be used:

Unsuitable: major deficiencies and/or inaccuracies in the knowledge and understanding of the topics; limited capacity for analysis and synthesis, frequent generalisations and limited critical and judgmental skills, the topics are set out inconsistently and with inappropriate language;

18-20: barely sufficient knowledge and understanding of the topics with possible generalisations and imperfections; sufficient capacity for analysis synthesis and autonomy of judgement, the topics are frequently exposed in an incoherent way and with inappropriate/technical language;

21-23: Routine knowledge and understanding of topics; ability to analyse and synthesise correctly with sufficiently coherent logical argumentation and appropriate/technical language

24-26: Fair knowledge and understanding of the topics; Good analytical and synthetic skills with arguments expressed in a rigorous manner but with language that is not always appropriate/technical.

27-29: Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the topics; considerable capacity for analysis and synthesis. Good autonomy of judgement. Arguments presented in a rigorous manner and with appropriate/technical language

30-30L: Excellent level of knowledge and thorough understanding of topics. Excellent analytical and synthetic skills and independent judgement. Arguments expressed in an original manner and with appropriate technical language.

ALDO RAVAZZI