ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This course introduces the basic concepts of environmental economics for students whose background is mostly in environmental sciences. Starting from a basic knowledge of the main elements of microeconomics, this course analyses several environmental issues and the policy instruments to address them. Theoretical analyses and mathematical tools will be illustrated jointly with applications to the major environmental problems that human societies are facing. Policy tools such as green taxes, emission permits and subsidies will be presented and assessed. The course will also analyse cost-effective environmental policies and their implementation in specific cases. Finally, the course will provide students with tool to analyse the current state of negotiations on climate change control and other environmental problems. It will identify the drivers and features of possible international agreements and will present scenarios of future development of international negotiations.

1. Knowledge and understanding:
1.1 Understand the role of environmental economics, why its' important to properly consider the economic dimension of environmental studies
1.2. Understand why public intervention is required to correct environmental externalities
1.3. Compare different environmental policy instruments
1.3 Assess the role of policy instruments in international environmental negotiations

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
2.1. Use theoretical models and economic tools to address environmental problems
2.2. Apply economic instruments to analyse and mitigate climate change
2.3. Identify solutions to reduce obstacles towards international environmental agreements

3. Judgment skills:
3.1. Assess pros and cons of different environmental policy instruments
3.2. Understand the future of energy systems
3.3. Evaluate the success probability of international negotiations

Basic knowledge of economics, mathematics and statistics. Students should also be familiar with the most important environmental problems and should follow the debate on the measures and policies to address climate change.

- Market inefficiency to address environmental externalities
- Environmental regulation and policy
- The role of green taxes
- Permit markets
- Other policy instruments
- A comparison of taxation, permits and other instruments. Their role in addressing climate change
- The EU ETS. Emission permits in Europe
- The Coase theorem and negotiated approaches
- Cost effective environmental policy
- Climate change impacts and policies
- The history of climate agreements: from Rio to Paris
- The theory of international environmental agreements
- Application to climate agreements

- R. Perman, Y.Ma, M. Common, D. Maddison, J. McGilvray, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, 4th edition, Pearson 2011,
- J.M.Harris, B. Roach, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Third Edition, M.E.Sharpe, 2013.
- Stephen Smith, Environmental Economics: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2011
- C. Kolstad, Environmental Economics, Oxford University Press, 2010
- Scott Barrett, Carlo Carraro, Jim De Melo, Towards a Workable and Effective Climate Regine, CEPR Press 2015, freely downloadable at www.cepr.org (anche in francese per la casa editrice Economica).
- W. Nordhaus, The Climate Casino, Yale University Press, 2013.

Homeworks, essay writing and discussion of main issues

Lectures and workgroups . Students will be asked to prepare short essays that will be discussed in class. Much of the learning process should take place before and during the course, to make lectures more participated and interesting, and to give students the capacity to use and apply the acquired knowledge.

English

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Climate change and energy" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development