The overarching framework for this course is sustainable engineering and industrial ecology, i.e., the theory and practice of engineering within a complex, interconnected world that faces many economic, environmental and social challenges. The objective is to build on basic concepts of market economics as they apply to minerals, energy, the environment, and engineering projects. Students will be taught the skills necessary to understand and evaluate the socio-economic-environmental consequences of energy and mineral production, as well as environmental engineering projects, and their relationship to biotic resources and the environment. At the end of the course, the student is expected to know the basic concepts relevant to the role of natural and environmental resources in the economic system, the environmental issues connected with the production and use of energy and minerals, and to understand how resources and engineering can contribute (positively or negatively) to sustainable development through a more circular economy.

With emphasis on engineering tools that can support Sustainable Development, the student is expected to gather basic knowledge about the socio-economic-environmental characterisation of energy and mineral resources, and environmental engineering projects. He/she should gain a basic understanding of resource management issues and their relationship to property rights, externalities, market structure, and discount rates, as well as the economic analysis tools and evaluation techniques used in environmental economics and the analysis of natural resources and construction of engineering works. He/she should understand what is meant by sustainable development and how sustainability concepts are applied to energy, minerals and in engineering projects. He/she should be able to conduct a life cycle assessment and interpret the results in terms of environmental management and sustainable development, in a context of a more circular economy.

Basic Principles of Economics. Powerpoints covering basic economic concepts will be posted on the class website. This topic is highly recommended to understanding subsequent materials.

•Role of natural resources in the economy and man’s efforts to modify the earth to his needs. Role and evolution of energy and minerals in the economy: past, present and future perspectives. National material flow accounts. Birth and evolution of the “Environmental debate”. •Sustainable engineering. Engineers need to solve problems in the real world, one that is fast changing, complex, and interconnected. Because the challenges engineers must face today differ from those of prior generations, and because societies are looking for solutions that are consistent with a sustainable future, the course will address how the practice of engineering is fundamentally changing. Basic concepts of sustainable development, from societal and intergovernmental perspectives, and linkage of industrial ecology to sustainability. •Sustainable development as applied to energy and mineral resources and engineering projects. Sustainability and business management in the energy and mineral industries. Recent SD thinking, sustainability assessments, indicators of sustainability, corporate reporting, and codes of conduct. •Mineral economics and policy. Basic microeconomic theory as applied to non-renewable resources. Economic significance of mineral raw materials and the resource industry, including minerals and energy in GDP and national income and product accounts. Principles of minerals economics, including scarcity and resource depletion, the nature of economic rent. Market structure, international aspects, and trade of minerals. Raw Materials Policy and the EU. Critical Raw Materials. •Energy resources economics and policy. Primary and secondary energy sources. Demand and supply of energy. Conventional energy sources: oil, gas and coal. Renewable energies. Evolution of the international energy strategies from the birth of OPEC to present days. Energy Management and Industrial Energy Analysis. •Environmental economics. Progression from environmental to ecological economic theory; core concepts, including public goods, common property resources, pollution, and externalities. Market and non-market valuation of damages. The internalization of externalities. Environmental policies and public/private instruments. Applications of the foregoing to energy, mineral, and engineering projects. •Circular economy. Elements of Circular Economy, starting for the EC COM/2015/0614 final: Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy. The European Commission has adopted an ambitious new Circular Economy Package to help European businesses and consumers to make the transition to a stronger and more circular economy, where resources are used in a more sustainable way. The overarching goal is to maximise the benefits to society from all raw materials, products and waste, fostering energy savings and reducing Greenhouse emissions, covering the full lifecycle of products. •Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). A methodology to evaluate the environmental performances of production and consumption systems. Origin and basic principles of LCA according to the ISO 14040 standards. Use of LCA software applications. Basics of Life Cycle Management and green communication. The IT laboratory will be used in order to carry out those practice exercises which require the use of the software packages SimaPro, GaBi and openLCA.

This is a demanding and time consuming course. For many students, this is a first introduction to economic theory and so requires learning a new ‘language’ and way of thinking about information. Successful students come to class regularly, take notes, read the class materials, complete the practice exercises, ask questions in class or during office hours, and work diligently with their team to create a comprehensive and well written project report. This course is taught only in English. If your English comprehension, reading and writing is not strong, consider taking English classes at Politecnico.

The course is structured in (A) theoretical lessons, (B) practice exercises, (C) Life Cycle Assessment laboratories and (D) a teamproject. Practice Exercises are occasionally assigned as applications of the theoretical lessons, i.e. of the concepts and methods described in lectures and reference materials. Practice exercises are intended to develop skills and prepare for the team project and final exam. They do not need to be submitted to the professors. Team projects must be carried out by teams of 4 to 5 students. Individual work will NOT be graded. Student teams must have members representing at least 2 countries and up to 5. All team project topics must be approved by the Professors. Practice exercises are optional and can be done in teams or individually. Students can choose any of the following types of Team projects: *Plan A. Report dealing with the industrial-economic-sustainability overview of a mineral product, including issues of mine and product life cycle, and sustainability assessment. English only. *Plan B. Report on the Life Cycle Assessment of a product or process, including discussion of environmental and sustainability implications. English only. Detailed guidelines will be distributed.

Powerpoint Slides available at the Politecnico web site. References: Field, Environmental Economics, Chapters 5 and 6, McGraw-Hill, Irwin, 2009. Gibson, et al., Sustainability Assessment, Chapter 3, Earthscan, 2005. Hacket, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Chapters 3 and 4, M.E. Sharpe, 2006. IEA, World Energy Outlook, International Energy Agency. IEA, Renewables Information. International Energy Agency. Tilton, Mineral Economics: an overview of the discipline, 2007. Turner, Pearce and Bateman, 1993, Chapters 5 and 8, Johns Hopkins, 1993. Additional supplementary articles and materials (uploaded in the Politecnico web site)

Modalità di esame: Prova scritta su carta con videosorveglianza dei docenti; Elaborato progettuale in gruppo;

The final examination consists of a written test (1,5 hours) made of open (essay) questions and short exercises (oral examination not allowed). Examples of written tests from previous years will be distributed via Portale della didattica. The final mark is given 60% according to the mark obtained in the written examination (passmark 16/30) and 40% according to the mark obtained in the Team Project report. The purpose of practice exercises is to prepare for the written examination and carry out the team project, so you are strongly encouraged to complete them. They are not considered in the grade. In order to attend the final exam it is necessary: -to register via web site of the Politecnico within the deadline; -to submit the Team Project report any time, but not later than 5 days before the written examination. The written examination must be in legible English. The use of teaching material during the exam is not allowed.

Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula); Prova scritta su carta con videosorveglianza dei docenti; Elaborato progettuale in gruppo;

The final examination consists of a written test (1,5 hours) made of open (essay) questions and short exercises (oral examination not allowed). Examples of written tests from previous years will be distributed via Portale della didattica. The final mark is given 60% according to the mark obtained in the written examination (passmark 16/30) and 40% according to the mark obtained in the Team Project report. The purpose of practice exercises is to prepare for the written examination and carry out the team project, so you are strongly encouraged to complete them. They are not considered in the grade. In order to attend the final exam it is necessary: -to register via web site of the Politecnico within the deadline; -to submit the Team Project report any time, but not later than 5 days before the written examination. The written examination must be in legible English. The use of teaching material during the exam is not allowed