Background, approaches, and resources for teaching energy in environmental studies

Abstract

Production and use of energy have figured prominently in environmental studies and sciences (ESS) for many years, and it is particularly relevant to enduring themes, such as climate change, environmental justice, ecosystem disruption, and the study of natural resources. Despite its acknowledged centrality, relatively few ESS courses have delved into the intricacies of energy in a broad interdisciplinary framework. This paper encourages the development and improvement of such courses but recognizes that ESS faculty will have to select topics and resources to match their own abilities and interests and the needs of their students. The paper (a) proposes a framework for conceptual content and (b) suggests numerous resources organized in 5 categories and 17 subcategories. Each subcategory has an explanation of its role in the larger picture about energy, and each resource has a brief annotation about its content and utility. Future work on energy in ESS should address pedagogical techniques, different ways of integrating perspectives from different disciplines, and the needs of specific subsets of ESS courses and programs.