In Unit 1 (Modules 1 to 4), we learned key concepts used throughout the course. In Unit 2 (Modules 5 to 7), we learned about what development is and how it can be sustainable. We now turn to our Unit 3 on global environmental change. Simply put, due mainly to human development, the global environment is currently undergoing major changes – changes that are, in turn, causing major disruption to human systems and environmental systems alike.
Module 8 focuses on natural hazards. Natural hazards are threats of natural events that cause harm to humans or to other things that we care about. Many natural hazards are not initially caused by humans, but the damage inevitably has a strong human component. We start the final sets of modules this way because studying hazards helps us understand environmental impacts on more local scales, giving us valuable perspective on global environmental change.
By the end of Module 8, you should be able to:
There is just one required reading for this module. Next week's Written Assignment will draw on material from Modules 8 and 9.
Requirement | Location | Submitting Your Work |
---|---|---|
Reading Assignment: Knowledge Without Modern Education | Vulnerability to Natural Hazards | No submission |
If you have any questions, please post them to our Course Q & A discussion forum in Canvas. I will check that discussion forum often to respond. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate. If you have a more specific concern, please send me a message through Inbox in Canvas.