Exploring Sustainable Development

Have you ever wondered why there is such a focus on Sustainable Development in the public debate today? In this course you will be introduced to the concept of sustainable development and how it has evolved to what it currently means, a holistic ongoing process to tackle the environmental, social and economic challenges of human development. Sustainable development is more important than ever, not the least, for problem solvers aimed at creating sustainable solutions at the workplace and in society.

You will learn about key concepts describing sustainable development, such as the three pillars, and different indicators for sustainable development. You will be introduced to the underlying reasons behind the environmental challenges that we face today, for instance climate change and ocean acidification. Throughout the course, different frameworks to describe sustainable development will be discussed, including normative approaches.

This is the first of three courses about sustainable development for problem solvers from KTH, Royal Institute of Technology. Each of the three courses can be taken separately and provide knowledge on how to act, think and approach development in society and for the industry that meets the needs of the present without compromising future generations ability to meet their needs.

In the second course, Sustainable Development: Solutions and Trends we go further into solutions to combat environmental challenges such as smart urban metabolism and the sharing economy. In the third course, Enforcing Sustainable Development , we look at what influences current sustainability actions and how people can change via education, and how regulations affect more sustainable behaviours. Situated in Stockholm, Sweden, KTH drives world leading research in sustainability, and offers education for students and staff to ensure that all graduates, as well as the organisation continue to enforce sustainable development. In these courses you meet a multidisciplinary team of teachers and researchers in the forefront of finding solutions for sustainable development.

This course is relevant to professionals working in industry, policymakers, or students in engineering, as well as problem solvers in society at large.