Environmental Sustainability and International Cooperation (Track 3)
Second year
Engineering for International Sustainable Development: Methods and Project Work (12 ECTS)
The course (2 modules) introduces to different approaches in applying sustainable development in the international context. It examines the contexts (geopolitical, institutional, historical, economic, technological), with the links between environment/climate change and poverty/inequality, and global/local agendas for SD. Then it analyses different implementation methods adopted by a wide range of stakeholders. It adds techniques for: participatory planning, management of environmental conflicts, anthropological analysis (module 1). Then (module 2) it faces an environmental project in a real territory context. Carried on in partnership with international/local actors, it culminates in a field mission, prepared both at technical and project management level. Students learn: to apply their theoretical knowledge to the project, to interact with several public/private actors, to manage projects in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
Water and sediment management for sustainable development (6 ECTS)
Focus on the water-sediment-development nexus from global to local scales in different geographical contexts. Students learn: (1) how human development affects and is affected by changing water uses and related sediment processes; (2) to use engineering tools to quantify water uses and to design sustainable technical solutions. Topics: WASH: water supply in developing rural or suburban areas; environmental effects of human water and sediment uses; soil, coastal erosion, floods, river management in developing countries; Irrigation systems design and water needs.
Near-zero-energy technologies for waste and sanitation (6 ECTS)
The module aims at teaching the basic knowledge to plan and design the collection, treatment and disposal systems of human excreta both wet and dry (with low-cost and almost zero-energy hygienic-sanitary technologies and with material recovery where possible) and municipal solid waste in the contexts of international cooperation, referring to the principles of environmental sustainability. Differentiated skills are provided for low- and middle-income countries. The intervention scenarios are distinguished between urban and rural. For the aforementioned areas, criteria for the management of special waste and industrial wastewater are also transferred.
Nature-based solutions for urban sustainability (6 ECTS)
The course covers the principles of sustainable development in urban areas, with a focus on the role of nature-based solutions (NbS) for more livable, resilient and healthier cities. Students will learn to analyze the supply and demand of urban ecosystem services; to plan and design NbS targeted to specific challenges and contexts; and to assess their environmental and socio-economic impacts using suitable methods and tools. Current thinking and experiences in cities around the world will be compared and discussed.
Applied ecology (6 ECTS)
Through the analysis of concrete cases, the course explores ecology to provide the skills and tools for understanding the environment that are essential for ecological design and planning. Case studies are presented both on a local scale in the mountain area and on a global scale with particular reference to sustainable development, biodiversity loss and food chain pollution. Topics include deforestation, ecotoxycology, ecological modelling, GIS, ecosystem services, climate change, food production, biomonitoring, biological invasions.
Renewable energies (6 ECTS)
The course provides engineering skills for the design of renewable plants such as solar thermal and photovoltaic plants, geothermal and biomass facilities including conventional and innovative processes such as gasification. A relevant part of the course will be oriented to analyze the integration of the investigated renewable resources and plants including the evaluations of the economical assessments and their impact in reducing emissions compared to the conventional fossil fuels.