Weeks 1-2

Question 1

Great Acceleration

Answer 1

The rapid increase in human activity and its environmental impact since the mid-20th century, especially after WWII, marked by spikes in CO₂ emissions, resource use, population, and economic growth.

Question 2

Doughnut Model (Safe & Just Operating Space)

Answer 2

A framework that visualizes sustainable development as a “doughnut”—the inner ring sets social foundations (e.g., health, education), and the outer ring sets ecological ceilings (e.g., climate change); sustainability exists in the safe space between.

Question 3

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Answer 3

Eight global goals set by the UN in 2000, aiming to reduce poverty, hunger, disease, and inequality by 2015; focused on development in low-income countries but often criticized for lack of environmental integration.

Question 4

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Answer 4

Seventeen interconnected goals adopted by the UN in 2015 to guide global development to 2030, balancing environmental protection, economic development, and social equity.

Question 5

Embedded Systems Model

Answer 5

A systems thinking approach that shows how the economy is embedded within society, which in turn is embedded within the environment—highlighting limits of economic growth within planetary boundaries.

Question 6

Just Sustainabilities

Answer 6

An approach that integrates environmental sustainability with social justice, ensuring that all people have equitable access to resources, opportunities, and a healthy environment.