Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2023-2024 (archived)

Module ECON40615: ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ECONOMICS

Department: Economics

ECON40615: ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ECONOMICS

Type	Tied	Level	4	Credits	15	Availability	Available in 2023/24	Module Cap

Tied to	L1T109
Tied to	L1T309
Tied to	L1T409
Tied to	N3K709
Tied to	H1KG09

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Excluded Combination of Modules

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 may include:
Pollution targets
Pigouvian taxation
Environment Externalities
Property rights
Coase's theorem
International environmental problems and agreements
Mitigation and Adaptation solutions to climate change
Welfare change measurement for price and quality changes
Direct and indirect methods for environmental valuation
Revealed preference approaches
Stated preference approaches

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 good understanding of the theory of economic value as it relates to changes in environmental quality;
Have a practical understanding of the practice of economic valuation of environmental goods;
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
Lectures	10	1 per week	2 hours	20
Seminars	4	Fortnightly	1 hour	4	■
Revision	2		1 hour	2
Preparation and Reading				124
Total				150

Summative Assessment

Component: Assignment		Component Weighting: 40%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Take-home assignment 1	To be taken within a 24 hour window	50%	Same
Take-home assignment 2	To be taken within a 24 hour window	50%	Same
Component: Continuous assessment		Component Weighting: 40%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
8 in-class tests (each carrying equal weight)	10 minutes each	100%	Same
Component: Presentation		Component Weighting: 20%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
One seminar presentation as a recorded screencast	40 minutes	100%	Same

Formative Assessment:

One formative assessment as an in-person seminar presentation.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University