This module will provide an overview of the impacts of pollution on the terrestrial and marine environment, as well as potential risk to human health and well-being. Current concerns over emerging classes of pollutants (e.g. microplastics, nanoparticles, pharmaceuticals and personal care products) will be explained. The module will focus on some key principles and approaches in environmental management of pollution, including the precautionary principle, ecosystems services and environmental impact assessment, as well as discussing key regulatory frameworks such as REACH, the Water Directive Framework (including the pesticide and wastewater directives) and the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy. Building on the theory of these frameworks, the module will discuss approaches to their application in practice, monitoring their effectiveness and assessing their impact on environmental quality.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Critically assess the current impacts of pollution on the environment and human.
Present and synthesize information on the fate and behaviour of emerging contaminants (e.g. microplastics, nanoparticles, pharmaceuticals and personal care products).
Explore the possible implications of climate change on the global levels and distribution of various contaminants.
Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of key concepts in environmental management and the major EU environmental protection directives applicable to air, water, soil, plants, food/agriculture, energy and the built environment
Evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of the principal approaches available for environmental management and the key policies in place to achieve this
Show understanding of how key environmental protection concepts, principles and models are integrated into environmental protection strategies and legislation.
Demonstrate ability to apply the various management approaches to real case studies, and to reflect on the relative merits and limitations of the different environmental management tools