This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Postgraduate Handbook 2022-2023 (archived)
Module ECON40615: ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ECONOMICS
Department: Economics
ECON40615: ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ECONOMICS
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied | 4 | 15 | Available in 2022/2023 | Durham |
Tied To
- L1T109: Economics
- L1T209: Public Economics
- L1T309: Experimental Economics
- L1T409: Environmental & Natural Resource Economics
- L2T109: Global Politics
- N3K709: Finance (Economics and Finance)
Pre-requisites
- None
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combinations
- None
Aims
- To provide students with an advanced knowledge and critical understanding of the economic aspects of environmental problems, with a particular focus on climate change, and of specialist economic tools to analyse and solve those problems.
Content
- Topics will be drawn primarily from the following;
- Pollution and Externalities
- Property rights
- Tools for environmental policy
- Imperfect information and mechanism design
- Competitive output markets and standards
- Non-competitive output markets
- Ambient pollution control
- Liability
- Innovation and adoption of new technologies
- International environmental problems and agreements
- Mitigation and Adaptation solutions to climate change
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- have an advanced knowledge and critical understanding of the contribution of economic analysis to the solution of complex environmental problems;
- have a critical appreciation of the role of free markets and/or government intervention to deal with complex environmental problems;
- have a critical knowledge of, and be able to engage in advanced discussion of, current political strategies for the protection of the environment from an economic standpoint;
- have explored, understood and appreciated the complexity and contradictions of the current academic literature and its implications for professional practice, and be able to identify open questions for their own research.
Subject-specific Skills
- be able to solve complex optimisation problems algebraically, and make use of graphical analysis at an advanced level.
Key Skills
- Written Communication;
- Planning, Organising and Time Management;
- Problem Solving and Analysis;
- Using initiative;
- Numeracy;
- Computer Literacy.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- A combination of lectures, seminars and guided reading will contribute to achieving the aims and learning outcomes of this module. Summative assessment by written examination will test students' knowledge and understanding of the subject-matter, their critical judgement and problem-solving skills.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | 1 per week | 2 hours | 20 | |
| Seminars | 4 | Fortnightly | 1 hour | 4 | Yes |
| Revision | 2 | 1 hour | 2 | ||
| Preparation & Reading | 124 | ||||
| Total | 150 |
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 100% | Unseen written examination | 2 hours | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Work prepared by students for seminars; answers to questions either discussed during a seminar, or posted on DUO; feedback on discussions with teaching staff during consultation hours, or via e-mail.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.