Are you interested in environmental issues and sustainability, and the potential for human societies to respond to the complex environmental challenges of the 21st century to make a better future? U116 offers a general introduction to studying the environment and sustainability. It provides the ideal foundation for various environment, science, social science and technology qualifications, or you can study it independently.
Our interconnected world is changing so fast that people must work hard to understand and address the environmental issues generated by rapid economic and technological development and transforming ways of life. Studying this module will enable you to explore how and why different parts of the world are changing, and how people, plants and animals live in their changing environments. It will show you how people strive to manage, protect and revitalise different aspects of the world we all share to secure a more sustainable future. It will help you make sense of the varying accounts presented online and in the media about the environment, from net-zero and biodiversity loss to plans for more sustainable cities.
Studying this module will provide you with the knowledge and skills to become better informed about the causes and consequences of environmental change. It will also take you to some of the planet's most fascinating and important parts in understanding environmental change. By the end of the module, you’ll be better able to follow debates about sustainability and our environment, and play an active part in addressing some of the significant environmental challenges of the day.
The module has six blocks. Each block focuses on significant environmental concepts illustrated by the places you’ll examine.
Block 1: Setting out from home
This block introduces the module and studying. It will start as a personal journey that will equip you with powerful ideas about humanity's place on a dynamic planet. It will outline how we’ve come to understand the most pressing issues of biodiversity loss and climate change. We’ll ask you to conduct your own carbon footprint exercise and consider individual actions to reduce your footprint. Using the framework of ‘I/we/they’, we’ll also introduce actions at different levels of society to respond to environmental issues and develop this framework later in the module.
Block 2: Arctic approach
This block explores the Arctic – somewhere that has long fascinated scientific researchers, artists and adventurers. We consider the Arctic an early warning system for global warming and climate change, and this block will help you explore different ways of seeing and knowing about environmental change. You will also get a sense of how the scientists who now work there – and the societies who have been living there for centuries – investigate, communicate, and experience environmental change.
Block 3: Nile limits
The Nile River basin is a diverse area with many contrasts. This block explores some of these contrasts and the interdependencies between people and their environment. These complexities mean that well-meaning actions can give rise to unintended consequences or conflict, which are also prominent themes in this block. You’ll consider relationships through three important topics. The first focuses on water, including its use as a resource. The second focuses on the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the fishing industry. The third focuses on wildlife conservation and the mountain gorilla, exploring the tensions between balancing conservation with local community development.
Block 4: Amazon life
This block begins and ends with excerpts from the BBC series I Bought a Rainforest to explore the global and local importance of the Amazon region. You’ll develop an understanding of the Amazon’s ecosystems and the services they provide, including being a carbon store and home to some of the world’s richest biological diversity. You’ll also consider the complexities of protecting the Amazon’s rainforest and the challenges facing its Indigenous people.
Block 5: China transforming
The block begins with an overview of China's geography and political history. It then focuses on the more recent economic story, highlighting the scale and speed of change in China, including urbanisation, rising consumption, and the rise of the middle class. This block focuses on a few key social and economic issues pertinent to an environmental perspective – particularly in energy and resource use and the transformation of agriculture and diet. You’ll explore environmental degradation and responses to it, including recent shifts towards reducing local air pollution and increasing energy generation from renewables.
Block 6: Cities and towns
Over half of the world’s population now live and work in cities and towns. This block will help you to make sense of urban areas and understand the importance of cities and towns in responding to climate change (and other changes). Urban areas rely on the movement of natural resources, people and goods. They are epicentres of resource use and major producers of waste and pollution, requiring effective water, energy and transport systems to be healthy and workable. You’ll explore ideas and actions that different levels of society can take – revisiting the framework of ‘I/we/they’ – to help make cities and towns more resilient, liveable and sustainable.
By studying a range of subjects, drawn from the natural sciences, technology and the social sciences, you’ll become more aware of each discipline's contributions to our understanding of environmental issues and potential solutions. You’ll also explore how people from these fields bring together their various perspectives to help understand the many interactions between the environment, organisations, and human cultures and values. This sharing of different approaches can lead to new ways of thinking about environmental problems, balancing alternative interpretations and conflicting interests, and generating new solutions.
At the same time as studying the environment, you’ll also develop your analytical and communication skills, including reading with different purposes, writing and numeracy. Your study will help you evaluate information and arguments; interpret and use data in various graphical and numerical forms; use computers for information searching, communication and software applications; and become an independent learner. Employers highly value such skills and attributes because they can be applied to new contexts.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:
Additionally, the website includes:
We also provide physical:
You can study this module on its own or use the credits you gain towards an Open University qualification.
U116 is a compulsory module in our:
U116 is an option module in our:
Environment: journeys through a changing world (U116) starts twice a year – in October and January/February.
It will next start in October 2026 and January 2027.
We expect it to start for the last time in February 2029.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
| Start | End | Register by | England fee |
|---|
| No current presentation |
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If your personal income is £25,000 or less, or you’re on certain benefits, you could qualify for a grant and OU top-up funding to cover 100% of your course fees. Apply online at the same time as you register on your module.
For more information on how to apply, visit our Part-Time Fee Grants for students in Scotland page.
The Open University Student Budget Accounts Ltd (OUSBA) offers a convenient 'pay as you go' option to pay your OU fees, which is a secure, quick and easy way to pay. Please note that The Open University works exclusively with OUSBA and is not able to offer you credit facilities from any other provider. All credit is subject to status and proof that you can afford the repayments.
You pay the OU through OUSBA in one of the following ways:
Joint loan applications
If you feel you would be unable to obtain an OUSBA loan on your own due to credit history or affordability issues, OUSBA offers the option to apply for a joint loan application with a third party. For example, your husband, wife, partner, parent, sibling or friend. In such cases, OUSBA will be required to carry out additional affordability checks separately and/or collectively for both joint applicants who will be jointly and severally liable for loan repayments.
As additional affordability checks are required when processing joint loan applications, unfortunately, an instant decision cannot be given. On average, the processing time for a joint loan application is five working days from receipt of the required documentation.
Read more about Open University Student Budget Accounts (OUSBA).
Studying with The Open University can boost your employability. OU courses are recognised and respected by employers for their excellence and the commitment they take to complete. They also value the skills that students learn and can apply in the workplace.
Over 30,000 employers have used the OU to develop staff so far. If the module you’ve chosen is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could approach your employer to see if they will sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees.
You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront with a debit or credit card when you register for each module.
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may wish to pay part of your tuition fee with a debit card and pay the remainder in instalments through an Open University Student Budget Account (OUSBA).
We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may get support from your employer to pay part of your tuition fee and pay the remainder by credit or debit card.
For more information about combining payment options, contact an adviser.
Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2026. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
