Current teaching: Wageningen University & Research

RHI–50806: Sustainability and Resilience in History

How did the Maya civilization collapse? Why did the bubonic plague kill over one third of 14th century European population? How long can current rates of global population be continued? This course introduces students to the fascinating field of environmental history, focusing on the tensions between economic growth, resource scarcity and environmental degradation in the distant past as well as in present-day societies. The course pays ample attention to the transition from pre-industrial to industrial modes of production and the environmental consequences thereof – the making of the Anthropocene. We draw analogies from the collapse of ancient civilizations to contemporary environmental problems, such as global warming and mineral resource depletion. The course also specifically addresses the various strategies that historical civilizations have developed in order to survive climate change, deforestation, soil erosion or other ecological threats to human livelihood. Finally, the course addresses the emergence of present-day environmental consciousness in the wake of modern urbanization, industrialization and unprecedented demographic growth.

ENP-23806 Sustainability Transitions: Concepts, Issues and Indicators

Previous teaching

[Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU] POGO8016 – The Economic Way of Thinking (Semester 1, 2022)

‘Economics for Non-Economists’ (Week-long short course, Cambodia)