Economics of Climate Change
| Module title | Economics of Climate Change |
|---|---|
| Module code | BEP3120 |
| Academic year | 2021/2 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
This module will address the features and challenges of climate change from an economics point of view. During the lectures and seminars you will be familiarised with how research in economics has engaged with climate change and the methodological approaches developed to assess its impacts. Particularly you will study theoretical models that assess the impacts of climate change on natural resources, and the related institutional and policy challenges. You will analyse existing strategies to cope with climate change, focusing on the role of private, public and third sector actors. You will also assess potential climate policies and their relative strengths and weaknesses.
There are no pre-requisites but useful complementary modules to have taken in the first year include BEP1050 Introduction to Economics and BEP1110 Environment, Society and Business. Complementary modules in the second year include BEP2150 Ecological Economics.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module applies a variety of economic ideas and concepts to address the climate emergency challenge. The module aims to develop a critical understanding of the economics of climate change as a discipline that depends on both environmental changes and ethical considerations. In this module, you will engage in the current debate on greenhouse gas emissions, which is of fundamental importance for the future direction of the world economy, and discover the economic models of climate change that are used by economists to design emissions protocols and emissions-trading frameworks. This will allow you to critically evaluate the climate change policy agenda, advancing decision making in public, private and third sector organisations. Seminars will complement lectures with guest talks, research-led initiatives and further practical applications.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate critical understanding of key issues in climate change economics
- 2. Distinguish between environmental and ecological economics approaches to climate change
- 3. Give examples of analytical tools and economic models of climate change
- 4. Identify the relationship between economic models and policy recommendations
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Apply economic theory to climate change related challenges
- 6. Critically appraise the current climate change policy agenda
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Develop independent study skills
- 8. Demonstrate problem solving skills
- 9. Apply reason and justification within discussion
- 10. Working in collaboration with others
Syllabus plan
Topics discussed on the module include (not exclusively):
- Climate change: the scale of the challenge
- The role of ethics: discounting climate change and climate justice
- Environmental and ecological economics approaches to climate change
- Economic modelling of climate change (e.g. hitting emission targets, valuing biodiversity loss and integrated assessment methods)
- Economic modelling risks and limitations
- The transition to renewable energy
- Climate change and economics after COP26
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 11 | Lectures (11 x 1 hour) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 11 | Seminars (11 x 1 hour) |
| Guided Independent Study | 128 | Reading, research and assessment preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentation | 30 min | 1-10 |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poster | 25 | A one page poster or a short video (max. 2 mins) | 1-10 | Written |
| Essay | 75 | 2500 words | 1-7 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poster (25%) | Poster (25%) | 1-10 | August reassessment period |
| Essay (75%) | Essay (75%) | 1-7 | August reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
The following books are a useful resource for this course:
- Hanley, N. and Owen, A.D., (2006). The Economics of Climate Change. London, Routledge
- Lawn, P. (2016). Resolving the Climate Change Crisis; The Ecological Economics of Climate Change. Springer
- Neumayer (2007). A missed opportunity: the Stern review on climate change fails to tackle the issue of non-substitutable loss of natural capital. Global environmental change, 17(3-4), 297-301.
- Spash, C. L. (2002). Greenhouse Economics: Value and Ethics. London, Routledge.
- Stern, N. (2014). The Economics of Climate Change; The Stern Review. Cambridge University Press
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
A more comprehensive bibliography will be available to students taking this course.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 04/05/2021 |
| Last revision date | 15/07/2021 |
