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TYPE

mooc

LANGUAGE

English

DURATION

DEDICATION

5 h/week

FORMAT

A mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities

CITY

COUNTRY

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Certificates Available

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Environmental Challenges: Rights and Values in Ecosystem Services

University of Leeds Manage natural resources with integrity

Target Audience

The course is suitable for anyone with a general interest in values and environmental decision-making; no previous knowledge or experience is required.

If you are working in environmental management, or wish to learn more about it, this course is designed to support you as a professional. By completing all aspects of the course you will have achieved 14 hours of CPD time.

Description

Humans are very innovative, but we’ve also created many ecological problems. We’ve changed the face of the planet, fished the oceans, and we’re causing climate change through emissions. Designing institutional arrangements that recognise ecosystem services in the values we place upon natural systems will be an important way to help governing the planet, for both present and future generations.

This course explores three approaches to rights and values, and applies these to ecosystem services around the world. It also includes advice on producing press releases about environmental issues. You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

Additionally, this course has been accredited by the CPD Certification Service, which means it can be used to provide evidence of your continuing professional development.

Topics will cover:

  • Types of category errors that are frequently made in assignment of values.
  • The different types of values.
  • The conflicts that often arise from a collision of values.
  • The cost of exercising a right.
  • Examples of Coasian Bargaining, identifying the limitations of more complex cases.
  • The application of Ron Coase’s suggestions of market-based solutions to problems of social cost.
  • The limits to the scientific knowledge that can be used to underpin decisions.
  • The use of precaution when making decisions where there is a lack of scientific knowledge.
  • Defining how the application of precaution may prevent significant innovations from being made.
  • The reasons why the precautionary principle is not applied with consistency when making decisions.
  • The role of power and hegemony as an important factor when the precautionary principle is applied in decision making.
  • The importance of making precautionary decisions that have economic costs.
  • The application of the principles to environmental case studies: the impact of Chernobyl, genetically modified organisms, asbestos, and ecosystem services.
  • The power of a well-written news report to change people’s opinions and values: writing a press release.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to:

  • Identify the three main types of values and demonstrate how they might be applied to decision-making about natural resources.
  • Explain the concept of Coasian bargaining and describe a narrative that demonstrates the impact on environmental equality.
  • Demonstrate why the precautionary principle is one of the fundamental principles used for decision-making about the environment.
  • Explore how a well-written news report can change people’s opinions and values.