Course content

The course addresses environmental impacts and their assessment. The course shall familiarize the students with different tools for quantifying these environmental impacts with a main focus on impact pathways damaging ecosystems. Methodologically, the stress is on Life Cycle Impact Assessment and its methods to assess impacts on ecosystems and human health. The following environmental impacts will be covered: Climate change, toxicity, acidification, eutrophication, particulate matter formation, land and water use. Novel developments within life cycle impact assessment will be discussed. The course will also introduce the student to related methods such as risk assessment and simple multimedia modeling.The spatial differentiation of impacts and the consideration of their uncertainty will be introduced.

Learning outcome

The student will gain knowledge and understanding of what biodiversity is and how to estimate species richness, the dominant problems for biodiversity and ecosystems, the definition of ecosystem services, the differences, strenghts and weaknesses of different impact assessment methodologies and of a variety of LCIA impact categories (such as land use, water use and plastic impacts), including the background of the methodological development, the importance of spatial differentiation and uncertainties.

At the end of the term, students should have gained a thorough overview of the major environmental stressors that are affecting ecosystems and biodiversity, be familiar with the principles for the development of life cycle impact assessment methodologies for ecosystems with all their strengths and weaknesses, have the ability to set up and solve multimedia mass balance models (steady-state), have the ability to critically interpret outcomes of LCAs, as well as perform simple LCA assessments. In addition students have gained knowledge about what assumptions and data choices are happening during model development and their implication the final impact model, know about the background and execution of other assessment approaches (such as risk assessment), are able to judge the limits of different tools such as LCA, risk assessment and footprinting and are able to judge the application possibilities of the above-mentioned tools. The main focus will be on impacts on ecosystems and species richness, but important impact categories for human health will be included as well.

Learning methods and activities

The course consists of lectures and discussions, as well as exercises. The course includes compulsory reading (mainly from the scientific literature). Lectures and exercises will be in English. 3/4 of the exercises/group work needs to be approved to be allowed to the exam. The exam will be in English. Students are free to choose Norwegian or English for written assessments.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

University-level mathematics, Life cycle assessment (LCA), e.g. through TEP4223.

Course materials

Course material, consisting of reports and scientific literature will be posted on Blackboard.

Credit reductions