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701-0661-00L 3 Credits BSC D-USYS

Environmental Decision-Making

Umweltentscheidungen

Lecturers & Examiners: Dr. Adrian Müller
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:47:00

Abstract

Environmental decision-making is at the core of sustainability policies and management of human-environment systems. This lecture provides an introduction to the conceptual background for environmental decision-making and teaches the practicalities of environmental decision-making by means of exemplary real world cases.

Objective

After the course, the students are able to - identify, describe and analyse the relevant aspects (drivers, actors, etc.) in concrete situations of environmental decision-making; - evaluate policy instruments and other institutional solutions for improved environmental decision-making; - modify and apply the approaches to deal with environmental decision-making as discussed in the case-studies to other cases.

Content

The lecture starts with the introduction of basic topics related to environmental decision-making. It then switches to a flipped-classroom format with individual project work. In this project work, the students work with existing governmental, academic, NGO, etc. reports on specific situations that involve environmental decision-making. This part of the lecture closes with a synthesis of the project work in the plenary. The second half of the semester focuses on a short individual project on a case of environmental decision-making chosen by each student, again organised in flipped-classroom format. The lecture closes with plenary lessons where the group work and individual project work is located in a broader context of central aspects of environmental decision-making and where a synthesis is drawn on the topics addressed in this lecture.

Resources

Lecture Notes

Will be made available in the lecture.

Literature

Will be indicated in the lecture.

General Information

Language
German
Levels
BSC
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
ungraded semester performance

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture Umweltentscheidungen
  • Thu 10:15-12:00 (CHN F 42)
2 h weekly

Offered In

  • Environmental Sciences Bachelor (Students can choose between one Bachelor thesis of 10KP or two Bachelor theses of 5KP each. In principle, all professors and lecturers involved in the teaching of the Environmental Sciences degree programme are entitled to supervise a Bachelor's thesis (BA). BA in the area of social sciences and humanities can only be supervised by lecturers who teach in this area. The same applies to BA in the field of natural sciences and technology. If the thesis is supervised by a person who does not teach in the Environmental Sciences degree programme or who does not have ETH lecturer status, then the student has to fill in the "Form for supervisors of a Bachelor thesis who do not teach in the Environmental Sciences degree programme" Link)