Environmental Risk Assessments (ERAs) are a tool to determine the likelihood that contaminant releases or stressors, either past, current, or future, pose an unacceptable risk to human health, wildlife or the environment. Currently, ERAs are required under various regulations in many developed countries so as to support decision-makers in risk characterization, food safety management or the selection of cost-effective remedial clean-up. This course introduces the theory and practice of human and ecological risk assessments. Students completing the course will gain a sound knowledge of the concepts and principles of ERAs, risk management and risk communication as applied in practice; understand the basic risk assessment tools (i.e. prospective, retrospective and tiered approaches) to environmental risk management; be able to select and apply the basic tools to tackle risk issues; and appreciate the interpretations of risk and its role in environmental policy formulation and decision making.