The teaching of this module is aimed at providing the knowledge and the methodological basis to understand the principles concept related to the interface between resource, production and consumption systems and related environmental pressures and impacts.

Objectives
The course will focus on the key processes, practices and sectors relying on resources and how their pressure and impacts on environment could be systematically addressed by means of approaches assessing supply chains, like life cycle assessment. These approaches allow assessing the interplay between resources and impacts, modelling cause-effect chains, and comparing effects with the limits of the planet.
Hence, this course provides an in-depth examination of the challenges and opportunities associated with non-renewable resources, resource efficiency, circularity. Students will learn about the impacts of human activities on the environment, the importance of sustainable resource management, and the principles and practices of supply chain assessment. The course aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and tools to design and implement sustainable solutions that minimize environmental degradation and promote resource efficiency.
Students are invited to consult the syllabus of the entire course for details regarding learning and skill-related objectives.

Knowledge and Understanding (Dublin Descriptor 1)
At the end of the course, the student understands:

• Definition of abiotic resources and raw materials
• Understand the concept of non-renewable resources and their environmental impacts
• The responsible and sustainable use of non-renewable resources
• The Circular economy vs Spiral Economy
• Resource efficiency and circularity
• The concept of planetary boundaries in relation to abiotic and non-renewable sustainable resource management
• Life cycle assessment and beyond its limitations
• The importance of equilibrium, steady state and kinetics of processes related to use of non-renwable resources and sustainability
• The main EU and international policies linking resources, supply chains assessment, planetary boundaries and sustainability

Furthermore, students acquire, review, and strengthen their knowledge regarding:

• the interconnected environmental-ecnomical-social-ethical environment complexity
• how the non-renewable resource improper use influences the atmosphere, oceans, biology of living organisms and humans
• the non-renwable resources distributions between different environmental compartments
• the standards and procedures for predicting and assessing the various impacts of environmental pollution (in terms of use in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA), and Integrated Environmental Authorizations (IPA)), tools for managing public relations in preventive environmental assessments; key environmental law regulations (European and national)
• the economic impact of pollution related to the concept of (negative) externalities, public goods, and the monetary valuation of pollution
• the use of some multivariate analysis techniques in the service of decision-making
• the difference between equilibrium and steady state and their application domains in a sustainability perspective

Applied Knowledge and Understanding (Dublin Descriptor 2)
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• list the most important non-renewable materials and the emerging ones
• discuss about the sustainability of the non-renewable material use
• calculate the LCA of some non-renewable materials
• hypothesize the environmental and socio-economic estarnalities of a wrong use of non-renewable resources
• identify compounds with potential impact on other environmental compartments and on humans and ecosystems from a one health perspective, and identify strategies for mitagate their release
• know how to apply legal regulation to protect the environment (present and future), and foster critical thinking in identifying problems and developing related solutions
• know how to critically analyze the evolution of use of non-renewable resources in response to evolving energy and environmental policies at the national and supranational levels
• know how to assess the need for a multivariate approach to analyzing socio-economical-scientific data and evaluate the information that can be extracted from them
• evaluate the spatio-temporal evolution of non-renewable resources follwing concepts related to equilibrium and/or the stability of non-equilibrium steady states and/or kinetic conc
• understand the chemical-physical aspects of our world and critically interpret the econimic systems in the framwork of these scientific laws

Making Judgements (Dublin Descriptor 3)
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• Identify which non-renewable resources are the most critical ones and will be the most critical ones
• Identify the impact of externalities om the environment and humans
• Identify strategies for minimizing socio-economical-environmental negative effects
• Examine the LCA assessment with applying an appropriate scientific method to interpret data
• Independently choose the most appropriate methodological, technological, or modeling approach to assess and solve problems related to non-renewable resources
• Ability to integrate economic needs into an interdisciplinary framework (chemistry, biology, geology, ecology, physics, law, economics) to address complex environmental problems
• Ability to critically analyze scientific literature and technical-regulatory documents
• Ability to independently evaluate policies, plans, and programs in the air sector (legal, economic, energy), including in terms of sustainability and the UN Agenda 2030
• Ability to independently develop the project and methodology for the final exam, critically evaluating the results obtained and integrating them with scientific literature.

Communication Skills (Dublin Descriptor 4)
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• Be able to clearly and concisely explain, with appropriate language, the main environmental issues related to non-renewable resources
• Be able to clearly and concisely explain, with appropriate language, the main effects of environmental externalities on humans, the environment, climate
• Ability to interact and collaborate with third parties.

Learning Skills (Dublin Descriptor 5)
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• Be able to apply acquired knowledge to determine the best practices in future policies
• Be able to apply the acquired knowledge to new areas, different from those covered in the course, independently integrating it with other sources of knowledge.
• Consult international scientific literature, databases, and technical reports from research centers, local authorities, governments, and international organizations.
• Work both in groups and independently, using the scientific method as a working tool