Thompson Rivers University introduces new Master’s degrees
KAMLOOPS — More and more, the cost to the environment is being taken into account when large resource extraction projects are being proposed. One needs to look no further than the proposed KGHM-Ajax Mine project to understand the potential backlash a company can face when a large project conflicts with some peoples ideas of what is or isn’t environmentally responsible. This year, Thompson Rivers University is offering a Graduate degree program that focuses on the fine line between protecting the environment and ensuring these types of projects can succeed.
The new Master and Master of Science in Environmental Economics and Management degrees welcomed the first eleven students into the program this fall. The degrees are designed to combine fiscal responsibility with environmental management, a field which is gaining more visibility, especially in light of controversial projects like the proposed KGHM-Ajax Mine.
“We live in an economy where we do depend on resources, but we want to manage them in an environmentally sustainable way,” Dr Laura Lamb explained. “One of the taglines for some of our marketing [for the program] is ‘Profit or Planet? Choose both.’”