Week 1: Introduction. Pessimism vs. optimism.

• Neo-malthusians, J-curves, S-curves and the IPAT equation

Week 2: Population. Demographics and the disappearance of the third world

• Demographics, population trends.

Week 3: Tragedy of the Commons.

• Fisheries, pastures, public vs private solutions

Week 4: Climate Change. The climate of the near future: hot, hotter, or hottest?

• Weather vs. Climate, Proxy and data climate evidence, Climate projections

Week 5 : Energy. What happens when we reach “Peak Oil” Renewable energy: is there enough to make the switch?

• Peak Oil/Fossil Fuel, Energy survey, availability, and density, EROI

Week 6: Agriculture and Water. Is there enough water and food for the 21st Century?

• GMOs and the Green Revolution, water stocks and flows – physical and social constraints

Week 7: Environmental Economics and Policy. Can economists lead the way to sustainability?

• Environmental Evaluation, project and policy evaluation, Incentive policies

Week 8: Ethics and Culture and Measurement. The long view.

• NeCarbon Footprints, Energy and water efficiency metrics, Sustainability Ethics, Environmental ideology and conservation movements

Lecture 1: What is Sustainable Development?

• Chapter 1: Introduction to Sustainable development
• Chapter 2: Economic growth and progress
• Chapter 3: Continuing poverty
• Chapter 4: Environmental threats hitting the rich and poor alike
• Chapter 5: The business as usual path versus the sustainable development path

Lecture 2: Economic Development – How we measure it, how it varies around the world

• Chapter 1: Incomes around the World
• Chapter 2: Urban/rural inequality
• Chapter 3: Income inequality within countries
• Chapter 4: Measuring wellbeing
• Chapter 5: Convergence or divergence?

Lecture 3: A Short History of Economic Development

• Chapter 1: Economic development is new, starting around 1750
• Chapter 2: The industrial revolution starts in England
• Chapter 3: The great waves of technological change
• Chapter 4: The diffusion of economic growth
• Chapter 5: Economic Development Since World War II: The Making of Globalization

Lecture 4: Why Did Some Countries Advance While Others Remained in Poverty?

• Chapter 1: The Idea of Clinical Economics
• Chapter 2: The role of physical geography: transport, energy, disease, crops
• Chapter 3: The role of culture: demography, education, gender
• Chapter 4: The role of politics
• Chapter 5: Which countries are still stuck in poverty?

Lecture 5: The MDGs and the End of Extreme Poverty

• Chapter 1: The Reasons to Believe that Extreme Poverty Can Be Ended
• Chapter 2: A Strategy to End Extreme Poverty in Africa
• Chapter 3: South Asia: The Continuing Challenge of the Food Supply
• Chapter 4: A Closer Look at Official Development Assistance
• Chapter 5:  Designing Practical Interventions: The Case of Millennium Villages

Lecture 6: Growth within Planetary Boundaries

• Chapter 1: The Planetary Boundaries
• Chapter 2: Growth Dynamics
• Chapter 3: Growth and Planetary Boundaries: The Case of Energy
• Chapter 4: Growth and Planetary Boundaries: The Case of Food
• Chapter 5: Growth and Planetary Boundaries: The Case of Population

Lecture 7: Human Rights and Gender Equality

• Chapter 1: The Ethics of Wealth, Poverty, and Inequality
• Chapter 2: Major UN Covenants and Declarations
• Chapter 3: Divided societies
• Chapter 4: Forces of Widening Inequalities
• Chapter 5: Gender Inequality and Solutions

Lecture 8:  Education

• Chapter 1: Life-cycle approach to human development
• Chapter 2: Early Childhood Development
• Chapter 3: The rising returns to education and the supply response
• Chapter 4: Social mobility
• Chapter 5: The role of higher education in sustainable development

Lecture 9: Universal Health Coverage

• Chapter 1: The human right to health
• Chapter 2: Poverty and disease
• Chapter 3: Designing and Financing a Primary Health System in Low-Income Settings
• Chapter 4: Ten Recommended Steps to Health for All in the Poorest Countries
• Chapter 5: The Challenges of Health Coverage in High-Income Countries

Lecture 10: Sustainable Food Supply and the End of Hunger

• Chapter 1: Malnutrition
• Chapter 2: Farm systems, ecology, and food security
• Chapter 3: How environmental change threatens the food system
• Chapter 4: How the food system threatens the environment
• Chapter 5: Towards a sustainable global food supply

Lecture 11: Sustainable Cities

• Chapter 1: The patterns of urbanization around the world
• Chapter 2: What makes a city sustainable?
• Chapter 3: Smart Infrastructure
• Chapter 4: Urban Resilience
• Chapter 5: Planning for Sustainable Development

Lecture 12: Curbing Climate Change

• Chapter 1: The basic science of climate change
• Chapter 2: Consequences
• Chapter 3: Mitigation
• Chapter 4: Mitigation Policies
• Chapter 5: Policies and Global Cooperation for Climate Change

Lecture 13: Saving Biodiversity

• Chapter 1: What is biodiversity?
• Chapter 2: Biodiversity under threat
• Chapter 3: Oceans and fisheries
• Chapter 4: Deforestation
• Chapter 5: International dynamics

Lecture 14: The Sustainable Development Goals

• Chapter 1: The proposal for SDGs at Rio+20
• Chapter 2: Illustrative SDGs
• Chapter 3: Goal-Based Development
• Chapter 4: Financing for Sustainable Development
• Chapter 5: Principles of Good Governance