ESS313H1

Contaminants in the Environment and Geoethics

One of humanity's key challenges is growing environmental pollution by a wide range of contaminants entering the environment from anthropogenic activities, including mining (even for critical minerals needed for "green energy"), agriculture, land use change, and industry. Topics covered will include the sources, transport and fate of inorganic and organic contaminants using geochemical, geobiological, and geophysical lenses. Students will investigate the need for mining, remediation and mitigation strategies, and will discuss ethical issues related to activities that lead to contaminant releases and their impact on human and environmental health.