Course: Tackling Environmental Challenges for a Sustainable Future

In the previous step we have discussed how chemicals that we use may find their way into the ocean. Here we will examine a couple of the many types of …

In the previous week we learned about how pollutants get into the oceans from the land, whether it is from an indirect or direct pathway. But what does this mean …

The interactions between civilisations and our oceans have been occurring throughout the history of mankind. It is no accident that many of the largest modern cities have developed on our …

Biodiversity is short for biological diversity, and it means the variety of living things on earth, including plants, animals, bacteria and fungi. Biodiversity includes diversity within species, between species, and …

Given the ongoing challenges facing fisheries management, scientists have been exploring other approaches to improve sustainability. One of the most popular alternatives has been to designate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) …

So far we have looked at what development is, and how industrialisation has led to climate change. We have also had a wider look at planetary boundaries, and seen that …

The second of our three imperatives is energy security. Energy security is a specialist term defined by the International Energy Agency as: “[T]he uninterrupted physical availability of energy at a …

Although the ocean does modulate our climate, it also produces some regular cycles and at times, extreme events. Some of these systems are essential for supporting human life, while others …

A key feature of the ocean is that being a liquid, it never stays still. This is crucial to the way the ocean functions and supports life on Earth. If …

There are no two ways about it, the ocean is vast. It covers 70% of the surface of the planet, which is impressive enough. But when you factor in its …

There are three main imperatives driving energy system change: Environmental issues Energy security Energy affordability From climate change to environmental sustainability We look at the first imperative here: environmental issues. …