Scientists and students engaged in ecosystem monitoring at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site. (Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Lawrence Susskind
MIT Course Number
11.601
As Taught In
Fall 2005
Level
Graduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
This course is the first subject in the Environmental Policy and Planning sequence. It reviews philosophical debates including growth vs. deep ecology, "command-and-control" vs. market-oriented approaches to regulation, and the importance of expertise vs. indigenous knowledge. Its emphasis is placed on environmental planning techniques and strategies. Related topics include the management of sustainability, the politics of ecosystem management, environmental governance and the changing role of civil society, ecological economics, integrated assessment (combining environmental impact assessment (EIA) and risk assessment), joint fact finding in science-intensive policy disputes, environmental justice in poor communities of color, and environmental dispute resolution.