Explore the intersections of global health, climate science, energy systems, and equitable development. Learn to critically assess technical interventions and design solutions that serve communities worldwide.
Required: The Divide by Jason Hickel
📄 Download PDFRecommended: The Global Engineers by Evan Thomas
📄 Download PDFRecommended: Drawdown edited by Paul Hawken
SEEC N290
Schedule TBA — check Canvas for updated times.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
16 weeks of lectures, readings, discussions, and hands-on labs.
The Mortenson Center at CU Boulder: mission, programs, research, and career pathways. Course overview and introductions.
Global health overview, disease determinants, the Global Burden of Disease framework, and data analysis.
Group presentations on an environmental problem and proposed solution. 6-8 minutes per group.
Planetary boundaries, climate science fundamentals, the carbon cycle, and tipping points.
A full-class simulation exploring power dynamics, systemic inequality, and privilege. Debrief connects to The Divide and environmental justice.
The Divide Part 4 (remedies), domestic environmental justice, pollution burden, energy poverty in the US.
The electric grid, renewable energy engineering (solar, wind, storage), grid decarbonization pathways.
Domestic and global water systems — treatment plants, PFAS, lead, the Flint crisis, membrane/UV/nature-based treatment.
Food security, regenerative agriculture, soil carbon, the food-water-energy nexus.
Life cycle analysis, embodied carbon, plastics, e-waste, design for disassembly.
Embodied carbon in buildings, net-zero design, EVs, urban planning, green infrastructure.
How carbon credits work, voluntary and compliance markets, Virridy’s model, the water-carbon connection.
Theory of change, logframes, impact evaluation, data-driven decision making.
In-class EnRoads simulation: design policies to limit global warming to <2°C.
Final reflections, key takeaways, and career pathways in sustainability.