Energy and Resources Group

As climate changes and environmental degradation intensifies in these tumultuous times, interdisciplinary training in the social, economic, policy, and scientific fields has never been more vital to preserving our societies and ecosystems. Enroll in Summer Courses today!

To learn more about enrollment, visit the Summer Sessions website or see the Summer Sessions FAQ. For a full schedule of Summer courses, visit the UC Berkeley Catalog of Classes. International students are encouraged to apply. The Summer Sessions has decided to waive the $400 International Student Services Fee this year. For more information about courses and instructors visit the ERG website

All classes below count for the Summer Minor or Certificate in Sustainability through the Energy and Resources Group, which is open to UC Berkeley students and the public. Asynchronous classes will be noted in the UC Berkeley Academic Catalog, and ERG also offers two asynchronous online classes each summer

ENERES 190/UGBA 192T

Business, Sustainability, and SocietyClass #15700, 6/22 - 8/14 MWF 10am-12pm (3 units)

As corporations have grown in influence, concerns over their impact on people and the planet have also grown, pushing sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and the wider impact of business into the spotlight. This course focuses on the many issues that businesses must consider while trying to act responsibly. A collaboration between the Energy and Resources Group and the Haas Center for Responsible Business.

ENERES 171

California Water Class #13579, 6/22 - 8/14 TTh 9am-12pm (4 units)

The story of water development in California provides compelling examples of water politics, the social and environmental consequences of redistributing water, and the relationships between water uses, energy, and climate. This course provides the historical, scientific, legal, institutional, and economic background needed to understand the social and ecological challenges of providing water for California’s growing population, agricultural economy, and other uses – all of which are made more complex by climate change.

ENERES/
ENVECON/IAS C176

Climate Change Economics Class #13564, 6/22 - 8/14 MWF 12 - 2pm, Lab TTh 12-2pm (4 units)

Climate change is caused by a large variety of economic activities, and many of its impacts will have economic consequences. Economic arguments are often powerful in policy decisions. This course introduces students to these arguments and equips them with the tools to participate in discussions of climate change policy through an economic lens.

ENERES 101

Ecology and SocietyClass #13512, 6/22 - 8/14 MWF 2-4pm (3 units)

The many ways in which our lives are intertwined with the ecosystems around us. Topics include ecological limits to growth, climate change and other threats to biodiversity, the value of ecosystem goods and services, the ecology of disease, ecotoxicology, the evolution of cooperation in ecosystems, industrial ecology, and the epistemology of ecology.

ENERES 170

Environmental ClassicsClass #15490, 6/22 - 8/14 TTh 2-4pm (3 units)

What is the history and evolution of environmental thinking and writing? How have certain ‘environmental classics’ shaped the way in which we think about nature, society and progress? This course will use books and papers from the last 6 decades that have had a profound impact on academic and wider public thinking—primarily in the USA—about the environment and society in historical context.

Asynchronous Online Courses:

ENERES W100 / PUBPOL W184

Energy and SocietyClass #13578, 6/22 - 8/14 (4 units – 8 weeks)

Instructor: Daniel Kammen

This course offers methods, tools and perspectives to understand, critique, and influence the management of technical, economic, and policy choices for energy generation and use. This online course is taught by professor Dan Kammen, chair of the Energy and Resources Group and founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory. Technical, socioeconomic, political, and environmental impacts of energy are covered.

ENERES W174

Water and Sanitation JusticeClass #13582, 6/22 - 8/14 (3 units – 8 weeks)

Instructor: Isha Ray

Explore water and sanitation justice and injustice at local, national, and transnational levels. Isha Ray is the co-director of the Berkeley Water Center, a faculty member of the Energy and Resources Group, and the inaugural Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion at Rausser College. Ray’s course covers social processes including urbanization and infrastructure development, deprivation and exclusion, privatization of land and water, and claims for human rights.