PGT pre-arrival reading lists

Please find below the suggested pre-arrival reading for your programme if it has been provided by your Programme Director.

Useful preparation for students on all programmes

Many of the programmes’ assessments require a high level of writing and critical analysis, so you want to make sure your critical analysis and essay writing skills are at a Master’s level. The University’s Institute for Academic Development has some useful exercises and learning resources:

All students would benefit from practicing engaging with the academic literature (i.e., academic articles published in peer-reviewed journals). Locating, reading, and taking notes from these papers efficiently are key skills. Practicing these skills are especially important for students for whom English is a second language and who may never have attempted to read peer-reviewed articles in English before. Students are recommended to do the following:

  • Read the following article and the comments on how academics read scientific articles:
  • Read about different note-taking systems that exist (and the software that exists to support them). Examples include Cornell notes, outlining, concept mapping, and creating synthesis sheets.
  • Read about the academic databases that curate journal articles (i.e. Web of Science and Scopus) and how to use them.
  • For papers that pique your interest, practice reading and taking notes from them, testing different strategies so that you can work out an efficient system before you arrive.

All students would benefit from learning about various tools that will help them develop an effective electronic workflow while they are here. That means using online resources (including YouTube videos and stack overflow), and selecting either:

  • An electronic reference manager (e.g. EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley)
  • An electronic note-taking platform (e.g. EverNote, OneNote, Good Notes, etc.)

  • IPCC Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report (20 March 2023)
  • Climate and Society: Transforming the Future (2024) by Robin Leichenko and Karen O'Brien. 2nd Edition, Polity.
  • The Climate Book (2024) by Great Thunberg. Penguin.
  • Climate Change: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (2021) by Mark Maslin. 4th Edition, Oxford University Press.
  • The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable (2017) by Amitav Ghosh. University of Chicago Press.
  • Nature Climate Change (Journal)

  • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a great place to start. The Synthesis Report in particular would be very useful to read before starting:
  • If you haven’t written an essay in a few years, there are several online guides on academic writing (and some great textbooks). 

Some other good resources to familiarise yourself with: 

  • Carbon Brief
  • Climate and Society: Transforming the Future (2024) by Robin Leichenko and Karen O'Brien. 2nd Edition, Polity.
  • The Climate Book (2024) by Great Thunberg. Penguin.
  • Climate Change: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (2021) by Mark Maslin. 4th Edition, Oxford University Press.
  • The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable (2017) by Amitav Ghosh. University of Chicago Press.

Whilst we don’t assume extensive experience with GIS OR with computer programming, students who have familiarised themselves with the resources below may find the transition onto the programme easier. 

There are lots of great online resources which you might find helpful for learning the basics of ArcGIS, QGIS, Python, R and SQL. 

Below are a few links to online coding and GIS courses which may be useful: 

DataCamp 

The course focuses on Python specifically for data science. Lessons are interactive. A combination of videos and exercises and takes around 4 hours to complete. Covers: Basics, List, Packages, Functions and NumPy. Also covers introductions to R and SQL which could be useful. 

Visit DataCamp site

CodeAcademy 

Fundamental programming concepts and the Python programming language course. Lessons are interactive.  Time to complete is estimated at 25 Hours and there are no prerequisites. The syllabus is extensive and covers: Python Syntax, Strings and Console Output, Conditionals and Control Flow, Functions, Lists & Dictionaries, Lists and Functions, Loops, Advanced Topics in Python, Introduction to Classes, File Input and Output. 

Learn Python on CodeAcademy site

Quantum GIS

This freeware GIS is now well developed, and there are a good set of related resources, including tutorials at sites such as the one below. You can download the actual GIS software, and practice with the data sets provided. These resources cover basic GIS principles, all the way up to advanced topics including using python programming with GIS, conducting network analysis and more advanced spatial analysis, plus introductory web mapping.

Visit QGIS site

View QGIS Tutorials and Tips

ESRI Virtual Campus

This commercial site provides training resources for using ArcGIS and its extensions. Some of the courses are available free of charge. 

View ESRI Training Resources

Suggested Pre-arrival READING: 

  • Schmandt, M. GIS Commons: An introductory textbook on Geographic Information Systems free web enabled resource. View here.
  • de Smith, M Goodchild M F Longley P A 2015 Geospatial Analysis A Comprehensive Guide to Principles Techniques and Software tools. Third edition free web enabled resource: http://www.spatialanalysisonline.com/index.html 
  • Longley P A, Goodchild M F, Maguire D J and Rhind D W (eds) (2010) Geographical Information Systems and Science. Chichester: Wiley. 3rd Edition. 

Periodicals to browse: 


A suggested text reading list 

As a part of getting ready to study Ecological Economics, students are encouraged to engage in some preparatory reading. The following is a list of recommendations that previous students have found to be helpful. The Programme Directors can be contacted for more tailored recommendations:

  • Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st -Century Economist by Kate Raworth 
  • Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows 
  • Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Independence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds by Arturo Escobar
  • The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism by Matthias Schmelzer, Andrea Vetter, and Aaron Vansintjan 

Students have additionally found resources focused on providing introductions to postgrowth, ecology and environmental systems, statistical inference, qualitative methods, and the use of the R-programme language to be helpful. We suggest that students consider the areas where they have the least experience and undertake some introductory self-study work prior to matriculating to better enable them to engage in the interdisciplinary dimensions of Ecological Economics. 

If students are inexperienced in writing analytical essays in English using evidence found in literature, they should seek preparation specifically related to this. This kind of writing constitutes a significant part of the assessment in the programme, including in the dissertation. Students who have little practice in consciously engaging in critical thinking, critical reflection, and synthesis are recommended to engage with these topics prior to matriculating. See 'Useful preparation for all students' section at the top of this page for further guidance.

If students have never used Excel before, they should teach themselves the basics independently, and practice troubleshooting online (using Excel help files, online tutorials, websites like stack overflow and stack exchange).


Recommended Texts 

  • Stirling, A. (2014) ‘Transforming power: Social science and the politics of energy choices’, Energy Research & Social Science 1: 83-95. 
  • Meadowcroft, J. (2009) ‘What about the politics? Sustainable development, transition management, and long term energy transitions’, Policy Sciences 42: 323. 
  • Watts, L (2019) Energy at the End of the World: An Orkney Islands Saga. Infrastructures. Cambridge MA/London: MIT Press.
  • David J.C. MacKay. Sustainable Energy – without the hot air. UIT Cambridge, 2008. ISBN 978-0-9544529-3-3. Available free online from www.withouthotair.com.

Adolfo Mejia Montero (Programme Director) Key Contributions

  • Mazariegos, W., Mejia Montero, A., Mateus, C., Van der Horst, D., and Ochoa, V. (2024) ‘Individual and group preferences for electric engines: Perspectives of boat owners and operators on the Galapagos islands’. Transportation Research Part D
  • Romero-Lankao, P., Rosner, N., Brandtner, C., Rea, C., Mejia-Montero, A., Pilo, F.,Dokshin, F., Castan-Broto , V., Burch, S. & Schnur, S. (2023) ‘A framework to centre justice in energy transition innovations’, Nature Energy. Springer US, 8 (November).
  • Stojilovska, A., Thomson, H. and Mejía-Montero, A. (2023) ‘Making a case for centring energy poverty in social policy in light of the climate emergency: a global integrative review’. Social Policy and Society
  • Soriano-Hernández, P., Mejía-Montero, A. and Van der Horst, D. (2023) ‘Characterisation of energy poverty in Mexico using energy justice and econophysics’. Energy for Sustainable Development
  • Mejía-Montero, A., Jenkins, K., Lane, M. and Van der Horst, D. (2023) ‘An intersectional approach to energy justice: Individual and collective concerns around wind power on Zapotec land’. Energy Research and Social Sciences.
  • Bray, R., Mejía-Montero, A. and Ford, R. (2022) ‘Skills Deployment for a 'Just' Net Zero Energy Transition’, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, (Mar)
  • Cruz Maya, E.,  El Mekaouic, A., Livas-Garcia, A., Mejía-Montero, A., Bassam, A. (2022) ‘Towards the liberalization of the energy market: structural changes and implementation challenges of the 2013 Mexican energy reform insights in the energy nexus’, Energy Nexus, (Jan).
  • Mejía-Montero, A., Lane, M., Van der Horst, D. and Jenkins, E.H.K. (2021) ‘Grounding the energy justice lifecycle framework: An exploration of utility-scale wind power in Oaxaca, Mexico’, Energy Research and Social Sciences. 

Kirsten Jenkins (Programme Co-Director) Key Contributions 

  • Jenkins, K.E.H., McCauley, D., Heffron, R., Stephan, H. and Rehner, R. (2016) ‘Energy justice: A conceptual review’, Energy Research & Social Science 11: 174-182. 
  • Kohler, J., Geels, F., Kern, F., Markard, J., Wieczorek, A., Alkemade, F., Avelion, F., Bergek, A., Boons, F., Funfschilling, L., Hess, D., Holtz, G., Hyysalo, S., Jenkins, K.E.H., Kivimaa, P., Martiskainen, M., McMeekin, A., Muhlemeier, M.S., Nykvist, B., Onsongo, E., Pel, B., Raven, R., Rohracher, H., Sanden, B., Schot, J., Sovacool, B., Turnheim, B., Welch, D., Wells, P. 2019. An agenda for sustainability transitions research: State of the art and future directions. 
  • Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 31: 1-32. 
  • Jenkins, K.E.H., Sovacool, B.K. and McCauley, D. (2018) ‘Humanizing sociotechnical transitions through energy justice: An ethical framework for global transformative change’, Energy Policy 117: 66-74. 
  • Jenkins, K.E.H. (2018) ‘Setting energy justice apart from the crowd: lessons from environmental and climate justice’, Energy Research & Social Science 29: 117-121.

A good start would be Anna Tsing's The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins (Princeton University Press, 2017).


Books: 

• Nightingale A. (ed.) (2019) Environment and Sustainability in a Globalizing World. Routledge. View here.

• Brooks A. (2017) The End of Development. A Global History of Poverty and Prosperity. Zed Books. View here.

• Robbins, P. (2004/2012) Political Ecology: A Critical Introduction. Blackwell: Oxford. 

• Potter et al. (2018) Geographies of Development. Routledge. 

Blogs and other online resources: 

The Big Green Lie

Just Conservation 

POLLEN

EJAtlas - Global Atlas of Environmental Justice

International Institute for Environment and Development (iied)

EXALT - The Global Extractivisms and Alternatives Initiative

Arundhati Roy: ‘The pandemic is a portal’


Whilst there is no required reading before starting this MSc programme, those from a non-environmental/science background may find it particularly useful to prepare by reading about the basics of applying science to environmental issues, and in reading about key environmental issues. Note that the links below can provide you with a LOT of reading, so please do not drown in information!

Environmental science 

Almost any basic textbook will cover the key environmental issues. Importantly, make sure that you also read about the scientific method/approach if you are from a non-scientific background. Examples of possible texts to read include Living in the Environment (G. Tyler Miller); Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet (D.B. Botkin & E.A. Miller); Environmental Science. A Global Concern (W.P. Cunningham & B.W. Saigo); Environmental Science for Dummies (A.M. Spooner). There are many other suitable general environmental science books also available, ideally make sure that that they cover the range of issues you want to become familiar with (e.g. physical environment, biological environment, human issues and impacts, policy and economics, etc). 

Environmental organisations and issues. 

There are many environmental organisations (private and governmental) that can provide excellent background to whatever range of issues you wish to cover. Those listed here are just a selection, with a bias towards the Scotland/UK/EU (as that is where you will be studying), but we’d encourage you to engage with similar organisations in your home country or area of the world you plan to work in. Some of these organisations will provide the option of getting email / Twitter updates, and these can be useful in getting up to date information on a regular basis. They will also be useful for background reading during your time with us:

At the more local level, if you want to become familiar with issues facing Scotland, it is worth looking at these organisations/sources too:

Professional bodies 

You may find it useful to become student members of one or more professional organisations. Membership may provide you with access to relevant online research and practical materials, access to training courses, job opportunities, and professional contacts. When you join the MSc here, we will automatically pay for your membership of the Institute of Environmental Sciences (https://www.the-ies.org/). However, you may like to also consider membership of the following (depending on your interests, so read through what subjects/fields each organisation covers):

Please do not drown in too much information, so read selectively. If you would like more guided reading on any particular topic, please don’t hesitate to contact your Programme Director, Alistair Hamilton (Alistair.hamilton@sruc.ac.uk).


Books: 

  • John Blewitt’s (2019) Understanding Sustainable Development 
  • Sharon Beder (2006) Environmental Principles and Policy 
  • Robert Kimmerer (2020) Braiding sweetgrass. Penguin Books, London 
  • David Spiegelhalter (2020) The Art of Statistics: Learning from Data 

Please familiarise yourselves with the courses offered by the Institute for Academic Development. Many students ignore reminders that writing courses are available – such courses are very helpful and will improve coursework structure and style


If you cannot access the papers, please contact Stuart Gilfillan (stuart.gilfillan@ed.ac.uk) who will be able to send you copies. If you have special interest in a different topic, let Stuart know and he will ask the person who teaches it if they have a recommendation. 

Books: 

  • Sustainable Energy - without the hot air - David MacKay. View here.
  • Introduction to Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Smit et al., 2014 The Berkley Lectures on Energy Vol 1., Imperial College Press, the best textbook on CCS. View here.
  • Returning Carbon to Nature: Coal, Carbon Capture, and Storage by Michael Stephenson. View here.
  • Challenged by Carbon, the oil industry and climate change. By Bryan Lovell. View here.

Journals: 

  • Keeping warm: a review of deep geothermal potential of the UK JG Gluyas and others, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy. View here.  
  • Julien Mouli-Castillo, Mark Wilkinson, Dimitri Mignard, Christopher McDermott, R. Stuart Haszeldine and Zoe K. Shipton: Inter-seasonal compressed-air energy storage using saline aquifers, Nature Energy, 4, 131–139. 2019. View here.
  • AMID, A., MIGNARD, D., and WILKINSON M. Seasonal storage of hydrogen in a depleted natural gas reservoir. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 41, 5549– 5558. 2016.
  • Deep-Mined Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste, ELEMENTS vol 12 no. 4, 2016. View here (a whole issue of papers written for a non-expert audience, an excellent broad intro).
  • Emma Martin-Roberts, Vivian Scott, Stephanie Flude, Gareth Johnson, R. Stuart Haszeldine and Stuart Gilfillan, Carbon capture and storage at the end of a lost decade. View here.

Reports: 


We are facing a global biodiversity and climate crisis, and our Programme students are trained to think and work across disciplines to help unlock solutions. 

Current understanding of the state of our global oceans and species can be built by reading Volumes I and II of the Second World Ocean Assessment (WOA II). This report is the major output of the 2nd cycle of the United Nation’s “Regular Process” for Global Reporting and Assessment of the States of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects: 

The current state of our knowledge about climate change, biodiversity loss, and trends in migratory species can also be read in various sources to deepen this knowledge including:

  • Chapter 5, “Changing Ocean, Marine Ecosystems, and Dependent Communities” in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. View here.
  • The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. View here.
  • The first ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report reviews and analyses the conservation status of migratory species. It summarises their current status and trends, identifies the key pressures they face, and highlights illustrative examples of the efforts underway to conserve and promote the recovery of these species to aid decision-making. View the report here.

The programme covers a diverse range of topics and so specific reading materials are suggested by lecturers weekly to provide you with the most up to date and relevant sources of information. 

Lecturers are mindful that students on this programme have varied backgrounds and so you will be guided through the programme material and have access to online and library resources. 

Books: 

  • Weil, R.R., & Brady, N.C. (2016) The nature and properties of soils The Nature and Properties of Soils : Ray R. Weil, : 9781292162232 : Blackwell's 
  • N. Eash et al (2016) Soil science simplified. Soil Science Simplified: Neal Samuel Eash (author): 9781118540695: Blackwell's

Online resources: