Environmental Assessement

This module is designed to expose students to the field of environmental impact assessment at an advanced level, as an area of concern in the contemporary environmental management paradigm. Environmental Assessment, as a tool of environmental decision-making, is increasingly utilized to ensure that development is “sustainable” from an ecological, social and economic perspective. While the module will raise theoretical debate(s) at a broader level, the space is also provided to carry out practical aspects of environmental assessment in line with the relevant legislative and policy framework. The module is essentially about environmental assessment tools (e.g. SEA, EIA, SIA, PP etc…) with a particular emphasis on exploring these tools deeply at a theoretical level. Finally, the course will engage students so that they are part of an ongoing debate regarding the effectiveness of EIA and other environmental assessment tools in South Africa. The section of environmental ethics which will pay attention to various aspects of ethical environmental decision making is embedded in this module