Risk, Resilience, and Sustainability

Risk, Resilience and Sustainability are three keywords of our time. A deeper understanding of risk, the ways in which it is generated, experienced and managed is fundamental to addressing many of our pressing societal issues. Concepts such as ‘critical infrastructure’ underpin government initiatives to prepare, and manage for, global challenges such climate change, natural disasters, ecological uncertainty, and extreme social inequity. The concept of sustainability is heavily enshrined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , which have been widely taken up as a road map for future development around the world. The key objective of the course is to explore how sustainability and resilience work together in the safeguarding of ecosystem services, the economy, construction, transportation and political systems. Geography as a discipline offers expertise in the environment (e.g. hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, cyclones, floods and other environmental hazards) and the societal dimensions of risk, resilience and sustainability and is well placed to offer an interdisciplinary framework. It develops the Schools vision of creating cutting edge research-led teaching that works towards ‘shaping the future’ in ways that are not only more environmentally sustainable, but also through addressing issues of critical importance to ‘future proofing earth’.Career OpportunitiesThe MSc in Risk, Resilience and Sustainability offers direct employment prospects in environmental protection agencies (e.g EPA), International organisations such as the UN, the European Environment Agency and the European Commission, government departments and state agencies addressing global challenges, NGOs, Advise industries on social and environmental strategies, voluntary sector, government, civil service, as well as further academic study. Beyond this, understanding Risk, Resilience and Sustainability and the intellectual and practical skills developed are designed to enable graduates to understand the world in order to change it.