Economics for Environment, culture and tourism

The course aims to provide basic knowledge on the evolution of the environmental problem considering all aspects – scarcity of resources, climate change, etc. – and its impact from a technological, economic, and environmental point of view, and provide transversal knowledge on sustainable development by deepening the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda, the EU Green Deal, the green economy, and circular economy strategies. The skills acquired also concern the waste management and the energy transition; the innovation, digitalization and sustainable in urban context (smart city model) and in tourism sector. At the end of the course, students will have to demonstrate a clear understanding of the relationship between natural resources and the development of productive activities and will have to be able to evaluate the effects of the policies implemented in the sustainable management of resources in the short and long term; they will also have acquired awareness on environmental, social and economic sustainability and the value of adopting collective behaviors and sustainable lifestyles. Expected learning outcomes can also be declined according to the five Dublin Descriptors, according to the following scheme: 1. Knowledge and understanding: Knowledge of the key concepts of the environmental system and natural resources for the management and protection of natural systems in the context of globalization processes and for sustainable development. Knowledge of the environmental legislative framework, international, community and national strategies on sustainable development, policy tools and indicators for the environmental protection. A particular focus on the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda and the EU Green Deal. Understanding of the relationship between man and environment in the various macro-contexts: social, economic and cultural. Knowledge of the key concepts to understand the evolution of the global energy system in view of a more services-oriented economy transition and a cleaner energy mix. Knowledge of the relationship between the different natural resources analysed to understand the green evolution of the production systems towards a circular economy. Knowledge of technological and digital innovations for planning and implementation of more sustainable models in the urban context and, in particular, in the tourism sector. Ability to use the specific language of the covered topics. 2. Applying knowledge and understanding: To be able to apply the acquired knowledge in the sustainability field competently and reflexively. To undertake proper argumentations in order to raise awareness and promote green attitudes. Ability to analyze the main issues of the human-environment relationships such as ecological crisis, environmental risks, waste management, energy transition, digital transformation, smart city, sustainable tourism, etc. Ability to apply the acquired knowledge in various projects, research, studies, etc. 3. Making judgments: To able to collect and analyze data to study the ecological processes (in environmental, economic, and social fields) and for actions implementation on sustainable development. Ability to a critical reading of documents, reports, texts and evaluation of studies results, research, projects concerning the discipline. Ability to identify the appropriate methods of study and research in relation to different contexts. 4. Communication skills: Ability to explain the main issues related to the environment and the key concepts for sustainable management of natural resources. Ability to use appropriate linguistic terms specific of the discipline. Ability to communicate to specialists or not, strengths and weaknesses, as well as problems and solutions related to the maintenance of complex and dynamic natural balances for social and economic improvement of life quality. Students will be invited and encouraged to speak in classroom on the covered topics and, correspondingly, to listen to other points of views in order to accurately learn how to argue on economic-environmental issues. 5. Learning skills: Ability to provide a continuous updating of knowledge through reports, technical documents, and scientific publications. To be able to follow the current debates in terms of ever-changing European and national environmental policies. Understanding the importance of field observation and direct experience of the studied processes. To develop the skills to carry on further studies aimed to improve the scientific knowledge for a better understanding of the discipline.