Environmental Risks: Human or Nature Made?
Environmental risks cause harm to humans and ecological systems. They can happen in rich and poor, developed and underdeveloped countries. The long existing assumption that environmental risks are only natural hazards, such as earthquakes or tsunamis, floods or landslides, is wrong. Environmental risks, such as fire, desertification, dispersion of radioactive gases and many others, are created by humans themselves. Interestingly enough, environmental risks can be connected with each other and it is not always easy to identify. Very often environmental risks are identified, when the hazard has already caused damages. Environmental sciences explore risks from two different standpoints: causes and effects of hazards.
Bachelor and Master Degree Programs on Environmental Risks
Bachelor and Master degree level programs on environmental risks are broad multidisciplinary programs, that focus on risk assessment and its regulation. Undergraduate education on environmental risks offers a more general perspective on how nature and humans interact, how to mitigate harmful effects of this interaction or how to protect the nature. Graduate programs offer a vast range of disciplines, that include waste management, water management, soil protection, reduction of air pollution, biodiversity protection, etc. Developing advanced research skills is key to achieving success in assessing environmental risks and failures and the programs boast a key research component. Even more research focus is made in PhD programs on environmental risks, where the students engage in scientific and applied academic research on assessing and offering solutions to mitigate those.
Such skills trainings as communication, advocacy, community mobilization, management make an essential part of academic programs on environmental risks. While it is very important to predict and assess risks, as well as mitigate them, there is a constant need to communicate the possibility of risks and hazards to communities and governments, to mobilize them around the problems, advocate for better solutions and manage those crisis situations.
ARMACAD is Helpful!
Make most of ARMACAD search opportunities to view up-to-date information on undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate programs, as well as non-degree courses and professional trainings on environmental risks. ARMACAD displays not only academic opportunities, but also job offers and various events, e.g. conferences, workshops, summer and winter schools on environmental risk and management.