Environment and society

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Modern industrial activities - which MIT engineers and scientists play a major role in - have significant environmental and social impacts. Trends towards further industrialization and globalization portend major challenges for society to manage the adverse impacts of our urban and industrial activities. How serious are current environmental and social problems? Why should we care about them? How are governments, corporations, activists, and ordinary citizens responding to these problems?

This course examines environmental and social impacts of industrial society and policy responses. We will explore current trends in industrialization, urbanization, and globalization, analyze the impacts these trends have on human health, environmental sustainability, and equity, and then examine a range of policy options available for responding to current problems. The course will present key trends in both domestic and international contexts.

We will examine four policy problems in particular during the course: (1) regulating industrial pollution; (2) regulating "sweatshops" and the broader impacts of globalization; (3) protecting ecosystems; and (4) protecting urban environments during development. We delve into specific cases of these challenges, including: chemical safety and toxins; computers, e-commerce, and the environment; biotech and society; sweatshops; and food production and consumption. Through these cases, we will explore underlying processes and drivers of environmental degradation. Finally, we will analyze opportunities and barriers to policy responses taken by governments, international institutions, corporations, non-governmental organizations, consumers, and impacted communities.

Through the study of these issues, the course will encourage the development of:

The class will involve considerable reading each week, class participation, several short assignments, and a term paper and presentation.

Specifically students will be expected to:

The course grade will be based on the following activities:
20% - Class participation
30% - Problem Sets
40% - Term project
10% - Class Presentation

Hawken, Paul, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins, Natural Capitalism, Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1999.

Individual chapters of Natural Capitalism are also available at:

Additional required readings for the class will be available in a course reader. The reader can be purchased from CopyTech in the basement of building 11. The required books and reader will also be on reserve in Rotch Library.

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