Environment & Sustainability

Humanity has built a prosperous civilization by consuming natural resources and many environments — nature’s blessings. However, excessive resource use and the discharge of post-industrial waste have placed a burden on nature that exceeds the planet’s capacity. Moreover, given that not all people benefit equally from economic growth, social issues such as human rights violations and poverty still persist.

Sustainability is comprised of three elements: environment, society, and economy. Given the present circumstances , it is clear that we are still pursuing development that is not sustainable.

The purpose of the Environment & Sustainability IP domain is to cultivate individuals who can design a society that contributes to building a sustainable world. To achieve this, it is necessary to understand the essence of existing problems, grasp the systems, policies, and technologies already implemented to address them, and to identify the unresolved challenges that remain in order to propose means to overcome these challenges. Students will also acquire the analytical methods required to study this process in an academic context.

Among all the courses, “Basics of Sustainability Science” serves as the foundational subject for understanding the overall structure of this domain. Other courses are structured around different types of environmental issues allowing students to learn about their current state, their causes, related policies, and challenges. While climate change and biodiversity are well-known topics, there are many other environmental issues — such as plastic pollution, mercury contamination, and the protection of endangered species — that are currently being addressed through international cooperation.

Since these problems stem from human economic activities such as industry, agriculture, and energy use, it is crucial to understand the relationship between society and environmental issues. Furthermore, the balance between environmental conservation and economic development in developing countries, as well as issues like poverty and human rights violations, are also important areas of study. Some courses focus specifically on governance in decision-making processes aimed at solving these problems. By selecting multiple subjects from this domain, students can acquire the latest knowledge related to the issues of their particular interest.