We hear every day about the destruction of forests, plastic in the oceans and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We hear that we all need to change, because our current lifestyles are unsustainable: eat less meat, drive less car, recycle our plastic and compost our food waste. But is it enough? How much change do we need, to have a sustainable world? What should engineers do to help us achieve it, and why?

In this course we will grapple with these big questions. You'll be able to take an in-depth look at a sustainability issue that you're passionate about: its causes, consequences and implications. You'll also hear about lots of other issues that you'd never even heard of before and will develop the critical skills to challenge sloppy sustainability thinking wherever you find it. You'll also start to develop an understanding of the way our society, economy and environment interact, to make sense out of chaotic and rapidly changing world; and develop your ability to use ethical thinking to decide how you ought to behave in it.