Environmental Policy and Economics
This course introduces you to economic perspectives on modern environmental issues. We will study economic theories related to natural resources, with an emphasis on the strengths and weaknesses of alternative viewpoints. You will learn that economic
objectives do not necessarily conflict with environmental goals, and that markets can be harnessed to improve environmental quality. We will also discuss the limitations of economic analysis to provide policy guidance on environmental issues.
Learning Objectives
- Explores key energy economics issues, including pricing mechanisms, macroeconomic impacts of energy price shocks, the importance of energy carriers in developing and developed economies, and energy security.
- Analyzes policy options for addressing renewable energy development, environmental sustainability, and green growth.
- explain the reasoning behind government use of environmental policies
- introduce the components of environmental policy
- provide you with a means to evaluate environmental policies
- help you to develop an appreciation of the difficulties in solving environmental problems in practice, both at the domestic and international levels. Learning outcomes
- critical understanding of the main interactions between the environment and the economy, the physical constraints that place limits on the interaction, and the practical implications for public policy
- the ability to apply and critically interpret the results of specific methodologies so that solutions to environmental problems can be identified and implemented in practice
- the ability to critically use the knowledge acquired to be able to effectively evaluate environmental policy that is already in practice, and the theoretical basis for this policy
- critical understanding of the divergence between policy design in principle and the practical reality.