CONTENT: In this module, you learn how the economy interacts with natural and other social systems. The economy needs energy and materials from outside and produces wastes and pollution that damage natural systems. The economy is also embedded in society, because economic behavior is influenced by culture, institutions, and politics. Ecological economics argues that we cannot understand the economy without looking at its connection with other systems. The module has four parts. First, basic concepts of ecological economics (e.g. anthropocene, planetary boundaries, urban metabolism …) are explained. Second, you learn about systems thinking and system dynamics modeling. This will be the main content of the tutorial sessions. You will learn to use the system dynamics software Vensim. Third, a number of example models that show how socio-ecological systems can be analyzed are explained. These models deal with forests, water management, climate change and other topics. Finally, systems thinking is applied to issues of environmental and climate policy.