Environmental Science and Public Policy


The 2007-08 membership of this committee had not been determined at the time Courses of Instruction went to press. Updated membership information will be available in the on-line course catalog.

Faculty of the Committee on Degrees in Environmental Science and Public Policy

James J. McCarthy, Professor of Biological Oceanography and Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography (Chair)
William C. Clark, Harvey Brooks Professor of International Science Public Policy and Human Development (Kennedy School)
Richard T. T. Forman, Professor of Advanced Environmental Studies in the Field of Landscape Ecology (Design School)
Jerry R. Green, John Leverett Professor and David A. Wells Professor of Political Economy
N. Michele Holbrook, Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry
John P. Holdren, Professor of Environmental Science and Public Policy (FAS) and Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Science and Public Policy (Kennedy School)
Sheila S. Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies (Kennedy School)
Michael B. McElroy, Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies
Peter P. Rogers, Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Engineering
Daniel P. Schrag, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering
Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government (Kennedy School)
Steven C. Wofsy, Abbott Lawrence Rotch Professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Science

Other Faculty Offering Instruction in Environmental Science and Public Policy

Henry Ehrenreich, Clowes Professor of Science, Emeritus
Paul R. Epstein, Lecturer on Environmental Science and Public Policy
James S. Hoyte, Lecturer on Environmental Science and Public Policy
Jennifer Leaning, Professor of International Health (Public Health) and Associate Professor of Medicine (Medical School)
David Lesford Roberts, Lecturer on Environmental Science and Public Policy
Yuxuan Wang, Lecturer on Environmental Science and Public Policy

The Environmental Science and Public Policy concentration is overseen by a Standing Committee functioning as a Board of Tutors including representatives from several departments of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and from other schools as appropriate to ensure the requisite breadth of the program.

The concentration is designed to provide a multidisciplinary introduction to current problems of the environment. It is founded on the premise that the ability to form rational judgments concerning many of the complex challenges confronting society today involving the environment requires both an understanding of the underlying scientific and technical issues and an appreciation for the relevant economic, political, legal, historical, and ethical dimensions. It offers students an opportunity to specialize in a specific area of either natural or social science relating to the environment. All students have to satisfy a core of requirements in biology, chemistry, earth and planetary sciences, economics, government, and mathematics.

Primarily for Undergraduates

Environmental Science and Public Policy 10. Environmental Science for Public Policy
Catalog Number: 6383
William C. Clark (Kennedy School)
Half course (spring term). M., W., 1–2:30. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
This course explores the role of science in shaping environmental policy. How can research become a more effective source of useful knowledge for managing interactions between nature and society? How should a democracy subject scientific advice to political control? How do scientists grapple with the stresses of discovering and communicating useful knowledge on highly politicized issues? The course explores such questions through in-depth case studies of environmental policy-making taught by faculty from across the university.
Note: Intended for interested students from all concentrations.

Environmental Science and Public Policy 78. Environmental Politics
Catalog Number: 3613 Enrollment: Limited to 30.
Sheila S. Jasanoff (Kennedy School)
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 3
An introduction to the history, organization, goals, and ideals of environmental protection in America. Examines the shift in emphasis from nature protection to pollution control to sustainability over the 20th century and develops critical tools to analyze changing conceptions of nature and the role of science in environmental policy formulation. Of central interest is the relationship between knowledge, uncertainty, and political or legal action. Theoretical approaches are combined with case studies of major episodes and controversies in environmental protection.

Environmental Science and Public Policy 90. Junior Seminars

Enrollment in these seminars is limited, with preference given to Environmental Science and Public Policy concentrators in their junior year. One junior seminar fulfills the junior seminar requirement for Environmental Science and Public Policy concentrators.

[*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90a. Energy, Technology, and the Environment]
Catalog Number: 2189
Michael B. McElroy
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1–4.
The seminar will provide an account of the technologies that shape our world with a perspective on how they evolved, the benefits that ensued and the environmental challenges that arose as a consequence. Topics include prospects for renewable energy and options to minimize damage from conventional sources of energy. Specific attention is directed to challenges faced by large developing economies emphasizing the need for a cooperative approach to ensure an equable, environmentally sustainable, global future.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09.

*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90c. Ecology and Land-Use Planning
Catalog Number: 3792
Richard T. T. Forman (Design School)
Half course (spring term). T., 2–5:15, including a required one-week field study, and a one-day field study.
Investigation of how local and regional human activities such as housing, agriculture, water supply, and natural resource use can be arranged in the landscape so that environmental processes are not disrupted and ecosystems are maintained for the long term. The focus is on learning and applying spatial and ecological principles to land-use planning with the intention of regional biodiversity conservation, maintenance of water quality, and addressing other environmental issues.

*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90d. Status of Environmental Justice as a Public Policy Issue
Catalog Number: 5824
James S. Hoyte
Half course (fall term). W., 4–6.
Examines the influences of race, socioeconomic status, and interest group politics in the formulation and implementation of US federal and state environmental policy. Topics include the civil rights struggle and the environmental justice movement, role of race in environmental policymaking, residential and occupational exposure patterns of environmental pollution, racial diversity in the environmental movement, socioeconomic factors shaping the research agenda for environmental affairs, facilities siting and community impacts, and lead contamination as an environmental justice issue.
Note: Offered jointly with the Kennedy School as ENR-205.

*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90e. Conservation Biology
Catalog Number: 6879
David Lesford Roberts
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Conservation biology strives to describe, understand, and preserve biodiversity by applying ecological and evolutionary theory within the contexts of resource management, economics, sociology, and political science. This course will explore the moral and scientific motivations for preserving biodiversity and practice decision making under conflicting interests. Case studies will focus the examination of major contemporary issues in conservation biology such as endangered species protection and reintroduction, habitat fragmentation, over-harvesting of biological resources, exotic species invasions, and sustainable development.
Note: Local field trips within New England to be arranged.

[*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90f. Global Change and Human Health]
Catalog Number: 4434
James J. McCarthy and Paul R. Epstein
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1:30–4.
Global consequences of increasing human population and our consumption of natural resources include extensive changes in many natural ecosystems and in the composition of Earth’s atmosphere. In the last decade, geographic ranges of certain well known infectious diseases have expanded and new diseases have become threats to human health. This seminar explores hypothesized linkages between changes in ecosystems, climate, and the epidemiology of certain infectious diseases.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09.

[*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90h. Energy Problems and Promises]
Catalog Number: 2284
Henry Ehrenreich
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The likely exhaustion of cheap oil in the near future, ambiguous political attitudes toward pollution and other problems mandate the development of alternative energy resources and technologies. The seminar will consider fossil fuel, wind, solar, nuclear energy, electrical and hydrogen mediated transmission, and novel technologies such as fuel cells and hybrid cars, all historically related to economic and social needs.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09. Student participation includes a term paper, an oral class presentation, and involvement in seminar discussions.
Prerequisite: High school physics or chemistry or permission of the instructor.

*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90j. Environmental Crises and Population Flight
Catalog Number: 9841
Jennifer Leaning (Medical School) (Public Health, Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
War, disaster, drought, or famine force people to flee their land. The humanitarian consequences of this loss of place and livelihood are filled with complexity, relating to the extent and permanence of environmental destruction wrought by these crises, people’s attachment to their homes and ecosystems, the circumstances of departure, the destinations of refuge, and the possibilities for return. These issues will be examined through case studies and review of literature on forced migration and calamity.

[*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90m. Technological Approaches to Mitigation of Climate Change]
Catalog Number: 0545
Daniel P. Schrag and James J. McCarthy
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A variety of technological approaches have been proposed to mitigate the risks posed by human-induced climate change. Prominent among these are carbon sequestration mechanisms. In addition, the hydrogen fuel cell might replace fossil fuels in distributed energy generation. In this seminar, we explore these emerging technologies and consider the technological limitations, the geological and ecological consequences, and the political and economic implications.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09.

*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90n. China’s Energy Economy: Perspectives from the Past; Challenges for the Future - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8477
Michael B. McElroy and Yuxuan Wang
Half course (spring term). M., 2:30–5. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8, 9
China is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases at present, predicted to surpass the US by as early as 2009. The seminar will provide an historical perspective on the development of the Chinese economy with emphasis on the energy sector, including analysis of related environmental problems. Energy options available for China’s future will be discussed, including opportunities for clean-coal technology, nuclear, wind, hydro and biofuels. The seminar will discuss tradeoffs implicit in these choices with respect to reconciling competing goals for environmental protection and economic development.

*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90o. The Politics of Science and Environmental Policy - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6377 Enrollment: Science and non-science majors are encourage to enroll.
David J. Goldston
Half course (spring term). W., 2:30–5:30.
The course examines how the U.S. federal government funds and uses scientific and technical research. We examine current debates on such issues as how much money should be spent on science and what kinds of science, how to keep the U.S. economically competitive, how universities and industry should interact, how energy policy should be established and implemented, and how science should be used in a variety of environmental debates.

*Environmental Science and Public Policy 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 1705
James J. McCarthy and members of the Committee
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Supervised reading and research on topics not covered by regular courses of instruction. Students must complete a registration form, including permission from their faculty sponsor, with the concentration office before course enrollment. A final paper describing the research/reading completed during the term is due in duplicate to the Head Tutor on the first day of reading period.
Note: Intended for junior and senior concentrators in Environmental Science and Public Policy; open to sophomore concentrators only under exceptional circumstances. Permission of the Head Tutor is required for enrollment. May be counted for concentration only with the special permission of the Head Tutor.

*Environmental Science and Public Policy 99r. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 5666
James J. McCarthy and members of the Committee
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Senior honors candidates must take at least one term of this course (fall or spring) while writing a thesis. If taken for two terms, only one term can be counted toward meeting concentration requirements.