Environmental economics

ENV-471 / 4 credits

Teacher: Thalmann Philippe

Language: English

Summary

Starting with demand and supply and how markets work, as well as welfare assessment and social optimisation. Then moving on to the limitations of markets, particularly external effects, and developing instruments to correct these limitations — the instruments of environmental policy.

Content

Introduction to economic analysis: Actors, supply, demand; markets and prices; surpluses

Regulation of markets: Price and quantity limits, taxes and subsidies

Normative assessment of market outcomes: Optimality of perfect competition, market failure, in particular external costs and benefits

Means to reduce environmental costs: Reduce production and consumption or abate emissions; optimal abatement; splitting of abatement efforts between several sources of emissions

Environmental policy: Instruments, how they work and how they compare

Applications: Swiss climate policy, littering, aviation, etc.

 

Keywords

environmental economics, economic regulation, environmental policy, climate policy, policy instruments

Learning Prerequisites

Important concepts to start the course

Basic algebra

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

  • Explain price formation
  • Compare environmental policy instruments
  • Argue for an environmental policy
  • Solve small mathematical problems

Transversal skills

  • Take account of the social and human dimensions of the engineering profession.
  • Take responsibility for environmental impacts of her/ his actions and decisions.
  • Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking

Teaching methods

About two periods of lectures, one period of mostly mathematical exercises.

Expected student activities

Participate actively in class.

Assessment methods

Final exam during exam session, mainly small problems of the types seen in class.

Supervision

Office hours No
Assistant.e.s No
Forum Yes

Resources

Notes/Handbook

Slides will be made available on Moodle

Moodle Link

Videos

In the programs

  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Environmental economics
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Environmental economics
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Environmental economics
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional

Reference week

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