Degrees tackle climate change crisis and green issues
- Universities are responding to the challenge with courses equipping students with knowledge and skills to handle weather, pollution and waste concerns
It is hard to deny that climate change and environmental sustainability are key concerns facing our planet. Reports of extreme weather phenomena and environmental degradation abound, making the headlines almost daily.
Following a sharp rise in global awareness of these issues, and fervent calls for reform, politicians and businesses cannot avoid the crisis but instead take concrete action on issues such as pollution, waste management and the environmental impact of their policies, whether in the name of corporate social responsibility or the rule of law.
There is a rising demand for professionals with an environmental background who can bring game-changing ideas to the table.
To meet this need, universities have begun rolling out degree programmes that integrate environmental studies into mainstream learning, to help nurture future generations of multidisciplinary environmentalists.
Some of these coveted programmes are run in Hong Kong. They include the master’s of science postgraduate degree in environmental science and management (EVSM) at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and the master’s of laws (LLM) in energy and environmental law at Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
“In the context of the green economic transition, experts are needed and are in demand to facilitate the reorganisation of business towards sustainability,” says Anatole Boute, associate professor and admissions coordinator for the LLM programme at CUHK.
