Environmental management: pathways to sustainability
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Environmental management happens at both professional and individual levels and is crucial for creating sustainable futures. In this module, you’ll examine systematic and systemic approaches to complex environmental challenges within the context of global climate and biodiversity crises. You’ll develop a critical understanding of environmental management concepts and practices while building essential communication skills for engaging with different audiences. Through diverse case studies and reflection on your own values and experiences, you’ll learn the essential techniques and skills environmental managers need at personal, organisational, and community levels.
What you will study
Block 1: Complexity and challenges
This introductory block sets the scene for your learning journey. You’ll examine the complex situations and difficult decisions environmental managers face during the current climate and biodiversity crises, and explore responses to environmental challenges at the local level. We’ll introduce you to the essential skill sets and capabilities environmental managers need to address these challenging and often emotive situations.
Block 2: Human, citizen, manager
This block focuses on individual perspectives and how you might approach environmental management as a human, citizen and manager. You’ll explore human responses to our environmental impact and our actions as global citizens in addressing these impacts. To help you appreciate different perspectives, you’ll critically question norms, practices and opinions while reflecting on your own values, perceptions and actions. You’ll learn how values influence human interactions and why individuals might resist change despite overwhelming evidence change is critical.
Block 3: Organisations
In this block, you’ll examine environmental management at the organisational level. Large-scale sustainability challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss require organisations to think, plan and take action over decades or even centuries. Through examples like nuclear waste management and biodiversity enhancement schemes, you’ll discover how organisations are planning for the long term, while also developing skills to synthesise and evaluate data that supports effective decision-making.
Block 4: Communities
Next, you’ll consider environmental management at the community level, examining how different communities – geographical, interest-based and virtual – approach environmental challenges. Through case studies focused on sustainability issues, including social equity, you’ll develop your understanding, skills and capabilities in designing effective processes for community engagement and participation.
Block 5: Pathways and practice
This concluding block brings together everything you’ve learned throughout the module. You’ll have the opportunity to reflect on your learning journey and take stock of the sustainability competencies you’ve developed. You’ll also reflect on using appropriate language and visual aids to make compelling cases for environmental action to different audiences.
You will learn
- Key challenges and trends in contemporary environmental management.
- The potential of systems thinking approaches to understand complex situations and propose environmental management outcomes.
- How to reflect on the relationship between values and actions in environmental management, and how to negotiate different perspectives.
- How to manage, evaluate and synthesise data across different sources, and communicate this to influence decision-making.
- How to effectively communicate with different audiences about environmental management situations.
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this module.
At 快猫视频, we believe education should be open to all, so we provide high-quality university education to anyone who wishes to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential.
Even though there are no entry requirements, a basic understanding of environmental issues and social and environmental data will be beneficial.
Preparatory work
We recommend first completing the following modules:
What's included
You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:
- a week-by-week study planner
- course-specific module materials
- interactive tools
- personal journal
- audio and video content
- assignment details and submission section
- online tutorial access
- student and tutor group forums
- access to our online OpenSTEM labs.
Computing requirements
- Primary device – A desktop or laptop computer. It’s possible to access some materials on a mobile phone, tablet or Chromebook; however, they will not be suitable as your primary device.
- Peripheral device – Headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone for online tutorials.
- Our OU Study app operates on supported versions of Android and iOS.
- Operating systems – Windows 11 or latest supported macOS. Microsoft will no longer support Windows 10 as of 14 October 2025.
- Internet access – Broadband or mobile connection.
- Browser – Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are recommended. Mozilla Firefox and Safari may be suitable.