AG2803 Ecosystem Support and Environmental Justice 7.5 credits

The course links and introduces basic concepts in the areas of ecosystem support and environmental justice – two perspectives that are often ignored in policy and planning. The course illustrates and discusses the ecological resource base needed to support urban structures and a consumption-intensive lifestyle, as well as how natural resources and negative environmental impacts are distributed between different groups in society. The course also discusses strategies for sustainable, just and inclusive use of natural and potentials for promoting environmental justice in planning and environmental engineering.

1. Briefly describe the historical roots of the research field and the movement "environmental justice" and discuss what the concept means today

2. Be able to explain what “ecosystem support” means

3. Be able to discuss and exemplify how urban and western societies depend on and affect socioecological systems locally and globally

4. Be able to reflect on how environmental justice and ecosystem support are related and how these discourses relate to other sustainability discourses

5. Be able to evaluate real cases by applying theories of environmental justice and ecosystem support and develop suggestions on how a more socio-ecological just planning / environmental engineering can be implemented and reflect on the conditions for this

3 years of university studies within the field of Planning, Architecture, Engineering or Social Science. Documented proficiency in English B or equivalent (TOEFL, IELTS, for example).

AG2811 Planning for Resilience and AG2805 Sustainable Planning and Design, or AG2142 Political Economy for Environmental Planners and AG2143 Sustainable Rural and Urban Development or similar courses.

Agyeman, J. and Evans, T. 2003. Toward Just Sustainability in Urban Communities: Building Equity Rights with Sustainable Solutions: Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 590: 35-53

Bradley, K., Gunnarsson-Östling, U. and Isaksson, K. (2008) “Exploring environmental justice in Sweden – How to improve planning for environmental sustainability and social equity in an “eco-friendly” context”. Projections, MIT Journal of Planning, 8, pp 68-81.

Bullard, R. 2001. Environmental Justice in the 21st Century: Race Still Matters. Phylon 49 (3/4): 151-171.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3132626.

Gunnarsson Östling, U. and Svenfelt, Å. In press. Sustainability discourses and justice: towards social-ecological justice. In Handbook of Environmental Justice. (will be handed out)

Hornborg, A. 2011. Zero-sum world: How to think about ecologically unequal exchange. In: Hornborg (Ed.) Global Ecology and Unequal Exchange Fetishism in a zero-sum world. Routledge, Oxon. Available as E-book in KTH library.

Humphrey, M. 2002. The Foundations of Ecocentrism. In: Preservation Versus the People?: Nature, Humanity, and Political Philosophy. Oxford Scholarship Online. (p 1-6)

MEA (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment) (2005). Chapter 2: Ecosystems and their services. In: Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis. Island Press, Washington DC.

Movik, S. 2014. A fair share? Perceptions of justice in South Africa’s water allocation reform policy. Geoforum 54 (July 2014) 187–195. (The specific South African case can be read extensively)

Ostrom, E. (2009). A General Framework for Analyzing Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems. Science,325(5939), 419–422. http://doi.org/10.1126/science.1172133

Schlosberg, D. 2012. Climate Justice and Capabilities: A Framework for Adaptation Policy. Ethics & International Affairs 26(4), pp. 445-461

Sikor, T. and Newell, P. Globalizing environmental justice? (Editorial) Geoforum 54 (July 2014) 151-157.

Kurslittarturen kan komma att uppdateras och modifieras från år till år

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

• LIT2 - Literature Assignment, 3.0 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
• PRO1 - Project work, 4.0 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
• SEM1 - Seminar, 0.5 credits, grading scale: P, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

LIT2: Individual literature assignment based on the course literature.

PRO1: Project work on planning with ecosystem support and environmental perspectives and an individual reflective text.

SEM1: Seminars where key concepts and literature are discussed.

The final grade is calculated as a rounded weighted average of LIT2 and PRO1, where PRO1 has weight 4 and LIT2 has weight 3.

Grading criteria are specified for each course round

Mattias Höjer

• All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
• In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
• In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

Transitional regulations are in place until HT21, whereafter it is not possible to complete course AG2803.

SEM1 (AG2803) can be replaced by four seminars in SEM1 (AL2503). If the student already has completed seminars in SEM1 (AG2803), the student should participate in seminars of SEM1 (AL2503) with other content.

LIT2 (AG2803) can be replaced by TEN1 (AL2503). Note that the course literature can change between different course rounds.

PRO1 (AG2803) can be replaced by PRO1 (AL2503) plus a written supplementary assignment of 1 hp.

The course is replaced by AL2503 for THSSM and TMHIM from HT20