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ENVI-F452

Environmental impact analysis and management

academic year
2025-2026
2026-2027

Course teacher(s)

Edgar Towa Kouokam (Coordinator) and Wouter ACHTEN

ECTS credits

5

Language(s) of instruction

english, french

Course content

  • Environmental context and frameworks
    • DPSIR framework: introduction to the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response causal framework for environmental analysis.
    • Societal impacts: overview of the background of environmental problems and their broader socio-economic effects
  • Material Flow Analysis (MFA): core concepts, methodological clarification, and practical application tracking materials at substance, product, company and territory levels.
  • Footprinting methodologies: quantification metrics covering carbon, land, water, biodiversity, ecological, material, and waste footprints
  • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Theoretical principles and industrial applications of attributional LCA (static modelling and allocation methods) and consequential LCA (market-driven system alterations).
  • Environmentally Extended Input-Output Analysis (EEIOA): macro-economic modelling linking economic activities to environmental impacts.
  • Corporate sustainability standards: deep dive into CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards), corporate ESG ratings, and environmental labelling.
  • EIA & SEA: operational frameworks for Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment.

Objectives (and/or specific learning outcomes)

Environmental sustainability is more and more important for decision-takers, be it politicians, entrepreneurs, consumers, research, etc. All those stakeholders are confronted with sustainabiltiy questions on the developments and evolutions that they create or support. Consumers want to be informed on the environmental performances of products. Entrepreneurs and politicians are often confronted with their responsability towards the environment. At different stages and levels of decision taking, decision support in the form of information is necessary on these environmental sustainability issues.

This course aims to familiarize the students with the concepts and tools often used to evaluate and manage environmental impacts of products, projects, organisations, startegies, policies, etc.

Learning objectives

Environmental Management: 
  • Get a good knowledge of environmental management concepts, tools and practices in the area of private companies and public authorities
Environmental impact assessment:
  • Attain an overview of the plurality of possible analyses to evaluate environmental impacts
  • Attain an overview of the different procedures and techniques: which environmental impact questions can be handled, which data is needed, which methodological choices can to be made, ... ?
  • Attain an overview of the strength, weaknesses and risks of different techniques
Aimed Competences
After having followed this course, students should be able:
  • to identify the concepts, tools and technique suitable for a certain problem or question in relation to environmental impact management
  • to advise on a suitable management or impact assessment approach for environmental impact management questions or problems
  • to critically analyze and evaluate the value and quality of a study or report on a given environmental evaluation or management study

Teaching methods and learning activities

The basis of the course (theoretical explications) will be offered in digital packages (powerpoint video clips, other videos, reading material, self tests, ...) which the students have to listen, read, work on individually at home prior to the on-campus course. During the on-campus course session the prepared material will be discussed, with extra examples, exercises, question/answers, invited speakers, etc... 
After each on-campus course-session the next on-line package will be put on-line for the student to prepare for the next on-campus session.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Will be communicated during the course via UV

Contribution to the teaching profile

Relevant competences from the competence framework (http://smileyee-prd2.ulb.ac.be/img/ref_comp/Master_en_sciences_et_gestion_environnement.docx) of the Master en Science et Gestion de l’environnement

1° Master and Use Knowledge

Acquire knowledge, contexts and specificities on the environment

Analyse the actions, instruments, reactions and strategies installed by public and private actors regarding environmental problems

Analyse the environment on the short, medium and long term, both in the past and in the future.

Bring up the content and understand the relevance of non-scientific knowledge, if it consists of profane, political or administrative knowledge regarding environmental problems.

Use knowledge to understand the environment

Accept the complexity of environmental questions and employ simplifications (frames of analysis) needed in the scientific approach towards the complexity.

Develop an approach which allows to integrate knowledge of different natures, scales, contexts and disciplines in an interdisciplinary approach which links analysis and problem solving proposals for environmental problems.

4° Become a social responsible actor

Develop critical thinking on the sense and the relevance of his/her own knowledge and competences.

Other information

Contacts

Edgar TOWA <edgar.towa@ulb.be>

Campus

Solbosch

Evaluation

Method(s) of evaluation

  • Other

Other

Written exam

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

Written exam:

  • Questions on the fundamental knowledge covered in the course: 6/20
  • Questions requiring the application of knowledge: 6/20
  • Question assessing analytical skills: 8/20

(Examples will be provided during the course and in the final class session.)e

Language(s) of evaluation

  • english
  • french

Programmes