This interdisciplinary course combines bicycle design, engineering, and service learning to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the history, evolution, and impact of bicycles on society and the environment. Through hands-on projects, community engagement, and class discussions, students will develop bicycle design and engineering skills, gain practical experience and exposure to bicycle repair and maintenance, explore the impact of bicycles and related technologies on society and the environment, and understand the role of bicycles in sustainable urban mobility and planning.

An advanced design studio for the MSD-EBD program that synthesizes the conceptsand techniques of environmental building design. Topics and materials for the studio are developed in Arch 752: EBD Research Seminar, and summarized in a research report at the end of studio.

Humans have an enormous impact on the global movement of chemical materials. Biogeochemistry has grown to be the principal scientific discipline to examine the flow of elements through the global earth systems and to examine human impacts on the global environment. This course will introduce and investigate processes and factor controlling the biogeochemical cycles of elements with and between the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. Students will apply principles learned in lectures by building simple computer-based biogeochemical models.

This course provides an introduction to community organization and community capacity building. The course encompasses strategies, models, and techniques for the creation of organizations, the formation of federations of existing organizations; and coalition-building, all designed to address problems requiring institutional or policy changes or reallocation of resources to shift power and responsibility to those most negatively affected by current socio-economic and cultural arrangements. The course emphasizes development of strategies and techniques to organize low-income minority residents of urban neighborhoods, and to organize disenfranchised groups across geographic boundaries as the first required steps in an empowerment process

The course provides students with an understanding of building design simulation methods, hands-on experience in using computer simulation models, and exploration of the technologies, underlying principles, and potential applications of simulation tools in architecture. Classroom lecturers are given each week, with a series of analysis projects to provide students with hands-on experience using computer models. This course is required and reserved for MSD-EBD students.

What makes buildings livable and buildable. After the initial concept design and massing studies are complete the next step is detailing. This seminar will examine the detail, how they can inform and enhance a building's design. The primary goals of a building is that it stands up to external forces, protects inhabitants from the elements and provides a healthy environment. This course will look at the individual components of structure, skin and systems. More importantly though, it will examine the connections between them. The class will begin with lectures examining the different systems and then progress into applying these ideas as a whole to individual studio projects. The final results of this course will be a 3D wall section with accompanying details. These details will be developed in a variety of software as chosen by the student. Recommended options are Revit, Rhino, AutoCAD.

This course focuses on the social and environmental responsibilities of business that may extend beyond profit maximization. In 2019, the Business Roundtable composed of leading chief executive officers of U.S.-based companies released a statement that resurrected and reinforced interest in this view. This view contrasts with a traditional approach famously expressed by the economist Milton Friedman that "the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits." Although Friedman acknowledged normative side constraints to the profit motive--namely, a need to conform to the "basic rules of the society, both those embodied in law and those embodied in ethical custom"--he did not see business as playing a central role in the creation and sustenance of these "basic rules." As this course will explore in depth, Friedman's view has been challenged by various competing views of business purpose, such as in normative stakeholder theory and the related idea of "shared value" The profit-maximizing view of business purpose is the one most frequently modeled in business school classes. But if business firms are conceived as social institutions that can themselves affect the "basic rules of society" rather than simply taking them as given, then the question becomes how business can or should do so. Take, for example, the global challenge of climate disruption treated in this course. Business operations are surely "part of the problem" in the sense of being the source of the production and release of large quantities of greenhouse gases every year. But can and should business also become "part of the solution"? If so, how? Do business firms have an ethical, if not a legal responsibility to minimize their own carbon footprints or other externally harmful actions? When social or environmental priorities collide directly with the profit motive, how should these competing mandates be properly reconciled? Similar questions may be asked (and touched on in this class) about other social challenges in the world today, including democratic values, poverty reduction, fresh water supplies, and global health issues affecting those less able to pay for life-saving drugs and medical services.

Carbon dioxide capture and sequestration has recently emerged as one of the key technologies needed to meeting growing worldwide energy demand while simultaneously reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The objective of this course is to provide a quantitative introduction into the science and technology of carbon dioxide capture and sequestration. The following topics will be covered. General CO2 chemistry as it applies to capture and sequestration. Applied thermodynamics including minimal work and efficiency calculations for separation. CO2 separation from syngas and flue gas for gasification and combustion processes and the potential for direct air capture. Transportation of CO2 in pipelines and sequestration in deep underground geological formations. Pipeline specifications, monitoring, safety engineering, and costs for long distance transport of CO2. Comparison of options for geological sequestration in oil and gas reservoirs, saline aquifers, and mineral formations. Environmental risk assessment and management. Life cycle analysis

A good idea is not enough - developing innovative and sustainable projects in cities requires understanding "how to get things done." Developing projects to promote sustainability in major US cities requires sensitivity to the political and operational context within which cities implement innovative initiatives. Cities and Sustainability uses Philadelphia as a case study to explore the issues confronting modern American metropolises as they look to manage their resources and promote environmentally friendly policies. URBS 417 will introduce students to leading Philadelphia practitioners of sustainability and municipal projects. Students will be given the tools to politically, economically and critically analyze various sustainable policy initiatives across the United States.

What is climate? This course examines this question by exploring the diverse perspectives of various peoples at different times and in diverse locations. We will then investigate how the myriad of conceptualizations of climate influenced a wide array of topics, including health, race, historical change, human destiny, and responses to environmental challenges. We will investigate the changing ideas surrounding climate by examining historical texts, scientific literature, and cultural artifacts. By the end of the course, students will have developed a nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between climate and human society. Students will also be able to reflect on how the historical and cultural contexts that inform interpretations of climate impact contemporary discussion surrounding climate change and solutions for addressing climate-related challenges.

This course aims to engage undergraduate students at Wharton with fundamental questions at the intersection of climate change, environmental management, ethics, and leadership. Important questions we will address include: (1) What can we learn about leadership from being in “the environment” or “the field” that we cannot as easily learn in other settings? (2) What does it mean to be a leader in the area of climate change and environmental management at a for-profit business firm? A non-profit organization? A social enterprise/benefit corporation? Within this overarching theme of environmental and climate leadership, the course examines a concrete set of timely topics through readings, discussions, guest speakers, and written assignments, including: environmental management and a circular economy; product stewardship; extended producer responsibility; environmental personhood; greenwashing; and the different types of firms and organizations in this space, including for-profit corporations, benefit corporations/social enterprises; and non-profits. The course begins with five traditional classroom sessions on these issues with traditional assignments and readings run and graded by Professor Light. The culminating event of the course is a Leadership Venture – an expedition that combines both “being in the environment” and visiting an organization that is engaged in climate and environmental leadership.

Climate change might be the defining challenge of our times, with a wide range of effects on financial markets and the broader economy. At the same time, financial markets play an important role in financing the transition to a net-zero economy. This role, however, is shaped by the information that is available to market participants. In this course, we examine how climate risks—both physical and regulatory—affect firms, financial markets (including carbon and renewable-energy certificate markets), and markets for energy and real estate. We examine the role that firms’ disclosures and third-party information sources play. As climate change is high on the agenda of almost every company and government, this course will be valuable both for students with the ambition to pursue a career centered around sustainability and those who want to gain a better understanding of how climate issues affect more traditional roles in the financial sector, consulting, or non-profits. The starting point for this course is that financial market participants increasingly realize that climate change represents an important investment risk. One central concern focuses on transition risks, and in particular on the effects that regulatory responses to climate change have on the business models of carbon-intensive energy companies. We discuss how concerns about various climate risks influence the way investors allocate their capital and exercise their oversight of firms. We start with the price impacts of climate risks in equity, debt and real estate markets, including the role played by shareholder activism and engagement, divestment and portfolio alignment. Next, we study carbon markets with a focus on pricing and discuss strategies to hedge climate risks through financial instruments such as carbon or renewable-energy credits and derivative contracts. We then explore how different firms in the global energy sector—ranging from oil & gas to renewable energy to electric utilities—have responded to climate-related pressures from their investors and other stakeholders. Because outsiders’ reactions depend on the information that they have, we investigate the impact of ESG reporting on financial markets and on the choices that managers make. Here, we also discuss the costs and benefits of regulating ESG reporting and the impact of greenwashing. We pay special attention to the impact of climate risk and reporting on decisions inside organizations, such as spin-offs, hedging, catastrophe insurance, and the structure of executive-compensation contracts. Further topics include life-cycle emissions and the social cost of carbon.

Climate change might be the defining challenge of our times, with a wide range of effects on financial markets and the broader economy. At the same time, financial markets play an important role in financing the transition to a net-zero economy. This role, however, is shaped by the information that is available to market participants. In this course, we examine how climate risks—both physical and regulatory—affect firms, financial markets (including carbon and renewable-energy certificate markets), and markets for energy and real estate. We examine the role that firms’ disclosures and third-party information sources play. As climate change is high on the agenda of almost every company and government, this course will be valuable both for students with the ambition to pursue a career centered around sustainability and those who want to gain a better understanding of how climate issues affect more traditional roles in the financial sector, consulting, or non-profits. The starting point for this course is that financial market participants increasingly realize that climate change represents an important investment risk. One central concern focuses on transition risks, and in particular on the effects that regulatory responses to climate change have on the business models of carbon-intensive energy companies. We discuss how concerns about various climate risks influence the way investors allocate their capital and exercise their oversight of firms. We start with the price impacts of climate risks in equity, debt and real estate markets, including the role played by shareholder activism and engagement, divestment and portfolio alignment. Next, we study carbon markets with a focus on pricing and discuss strategies to hedge climate risks through financial instruments such as carbon or renewable-energy credits and derivative contracts. We then explore how different firms in the global energy sector—ranging from oil & gas to renewable energy to electric utilities—have responded to climate-related pressures from their investors and other stakeholders. Because outsiders’ reactions depend on the information that they have, we investigate the impact of ESG reporting on financial markets and on the choices that managers make. Here, we also discuss the costs and benefits of regulating ESG reporting and the impact of greenwashing. We pay special attention to the impact of climate risk and reporting on decisions inside organizations, such as spin-offs, hedging, catastrophe insurance, and the structure of executive-compensation contracts. Further topics include life-cycle emissions and the social cost of carbon.

Climate change is happening right now! Climate change is a hoax this is normal variation! Climate change is something we can worry about in 50 to 100 years, no need to worry about it now. On an almost daily basis we are bombarded by mixed messages about climate in the media. Who is right? What is the truth? This course will examine the cryosphere and build on the previous Climate Certificate courses CLCH 160 Oceanography and CLCH 220 Atmospheric Science to better understand Earth's climate system. We will explore past climate, how we know what that climate was like, and how and why we believe it has changed. We will then examine current evidence for climate change (sea level rise, loss of glacier mass, changes in weather systems) and critique various climate models. Once the class has a good understanding of the science behind climate change we will examine potential impacts in various parts of the world. Finally we will examine climate policy in the US at the federal, state and local level and in various parts of the world.

Climate change presents an imminent threat to social and ecological systems and a fascinating set of legal and governance challenges. This course explores the institutions and policy tools available for responding to these challenges, with emphasis on the political economy and distributional consequences of action at various scales. After an introductory unit on the science and politics of climate change, the course examines potential and actual legal and policy responses at the local, state, federal, and international levels; the possibility and limits of addressing climate change via litigation and private governance; the social and racial justice implications of climate change and climate change policy; and the ways in which multi-scalar regimes fit together in a complex and contested legal tapestry. Seminar sessions will be heavily discussion oriented. Grades will be based on a combination of writing assignments and class participation, including student presentations and a simulated climate diplomacy exercise.

This course will focus on understanding the multiple ways in which climate science is communicated to publics and how they come to understand it. In the process, we will explore ways to blunt susceptibilities to misconceptions, misconstruals, and deliberate deceptions about climate science. Forms of communication on which the class will focus include consensus statements, manifestos, commentaries, court briefs, news accounts, fact checks, op-eds, letters to the editor, speeches, and media interviews. Students will have the opportunity to interact with guest lecturers, among them leading journalists, climate activists, and climate survey analysts. Students will write letters to the editor and fact checks and will participate in mock interviews designed to increase their understanding of the nature of the interactions between journalists and climate scientists. As a class project, students will collaborate on a white paper on climate discourse fallacies to be distributed at the April 3-7 Society for Environmental Journalists annual convention (hosted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and Media). Students will interview attendees at that conference as part of the class project.

Climate Change and The Energy Evolution In order to address the climate crisis, the global energy system is and must be rapidly reshaped over the coming decades. Much of the energy evolution will be driven by decisions made by the private sector and the institutions that provide them capital. The aim of this course is to (a) explore the relationship between international agreements on climate change, national and local government actions, and the emergence of private governance as factors driving the energy evolution and (b) provide an overview of the critical themes, players, structures, and issues in renewable energy deal making. Students in this course will work first hand with climate and renewable energy practitioners to learn how to evaluate the key factors driving decision making in energy investment today and understand the basics of how the renewable and clean energy business works.

This course will be run as an ABA simulation course. Students will be asked to participate in a variety of hands on exercises, including mock negotiations, mock client meetings, and markups of client climate reports and renewable energy transactional documents. Grading is based on a series of assignments presented throughout the semester, and there is no final exam or paper in this course.

Climate change is a sign that humans have become a force with planet-altering power. We need to understand how human societies work if we hope to respond to its dangers effectively. This course will use history to help students see climate change's social and political aspects. We'll examine how previous societies have responded to episodes of non-anthropogenic climate change, exploring market-based policies, power imbalances, and vulnerability. Through the history of science, we will investigate and critique how the growth of scientific knowledge often led climate change to be framed as a techno-scientific problem, best addressed through research and technological innovation. Students will learn how climate politics have been pushed by environmental and social justice activists, as well as by anti-communist scientists and corporate-sponsored cultivation of public doubt. Assignments will help students learn how to translate scholarly insights into engaging media that can reach various publics.

This doctoral-level, academically based community service (ABCS) research seminar focuses on co-developing research questions with local youth in West Philadelphia to explore their experiences with climate change and identify and develop potentially implementable solutions for how to mitigate, adapt to, and build resilience in the face of climate change. The course involves the scheduled seminar, as well as required fieldwork time at a partner high school.
This course will apply frameworks and theories from climate communication, behavior change, and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR). Students will engage in a hands-on, youth-engaged research project and apply YPAR principles to empower youth voices and youth action in climate discourse and action.
Graduate students will learn core theories about behavior change, communication intervention design, and YPAR. They will gain experience designing and implementing a mixed-methods study, combining qualitative with quantitative research techniques to conduct formative research, message design, and testing in partnership with youth. Through this project, students will develop proficiency in data analysis, interpretation, and presentation of findings. The course will also cover ethical and practical considerations in youth-centered research, relationship building, community engagement strategies, and effective facilitation skills.
This course provides a unique opportunity for doctoral students to gain practical experience in participatory research while addressing pressing social and environmental issues in the West Philadelphia community.

The course will exam Pacala and Socolow's hypothesis that "Humanity already possesses the fundamental scientific, technical and industrial know-how t solve the carbon and climate problem for the next half-century." Fifteen "climate stabilization wedges" i.e., strategies that each have the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 1 billion ons per year by 2054, will be examined in detail. Technology and economics will be reviewed. Socio-political barriers to mass-scale implementation will be discussed. Pacala and Socolow note "Every element in this portfoloio has passed beyond the laboratory bench and demonstration project; many are already implemented somewhere at full industrial scale".