Rationale

An environmental emergency can be defined as any unexpected disaster or accident resulting from natural, human-induced factors or technological malfunctions, or even a combination of these, that causes severe environmental damage as well as loss of human lives. This course will introduce students to various environmental emergencies linked to human actions as well as natural disasters. Students will be familiarised on how environmental emergencies may be linked to hazards and risks identified in the workplace. They will also study the impact that economic and social actions have on the environment and how these can be better managed in order to be minimised or completely prevented. Finally, students will gain deep understanding on emergency preparedness and emergency response procedures for preventing environmental emergencies.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will be expected to:
(i)     Identify the various types of environmental emergencies.
(ii)    Analyse man-caused disasters and how these can be prevented.
(iii)   Describe natural disasters and how these can be prevented.
(iv)   Explain the effect that economic and social actions have on the environment and the exacerbation of emergencies.
(v)    Perform risk assessments as part of the emergency preparedness planning of an organisation.
(vi)   Advise on mitigation actions in order to reduce the seriousness of risks for environmental damage.