Economic system is a part of a larger global system. Nature provides direct non-market goods and services to human civilization—services that are not always valued in our decision making. This course will examine the interactions between the economy and the environment focusing on sustainability and efficient allocation of scarce resources.
Modules, readings, videos, assignments
1. The challenges of civilization
- Brown, ‘Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization’-read ch 1-3
- Bloom, ‘Climate Change’ – browse ch 1-3
- R.Muller, Physics for future presidents – browse p.1-17
- Climate change explained – video
- EIA – Environment – greenhouse gases and emissions
- Climate change overview – NOAA
- Societal impacts of climate change – NOAA
- 6 ways climate change will affect you – NG
- Mass Extinctions– scishow
- Climate change and armed conflict – climate migration
- Climate change and health – world health org
- Why our brain does not take global warming seriously – Gilbert
- Jared Diamond, Why societies collapse? – environment matters?
- HW 1
- slides from Class 1 in pdf
2. Development, population, and poverty
- Brown, ‘Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization’-read ch 7
- Human population through time – video
- Demographic Transitions – mruniversity
- Population and Economic Growth
- The Malthusian Argument
- The African Demographic Dividend
- Cohen: Demography -video, demographic trends and problems
- Overpopulation, overconsumption in pix – guardian
- You think the world is crowded? – one could fit all humans in NZ
- Hans Rosling: Will helping the poor cause overpopulation?
- Hans Rosling: Let my dataset change your mindset– TED
- Hans Rosling: Global population growth, box by box -TED
- Hans Rosling: New insights on poverty -TED
- Hans Rosling: Religions and babies -TED
- Paul Collier- the “bottom billion” -TED, how to help failing states?
- CIA world factbook country comparisons – econ growth and GDP
- HW 2
- slides from Class 2 in pdf
3. Ecological economics and limits to growth
- GDP – video
- Economic growth – video
- CIA factbook – compare countries by GDP, growth
- NYTimes op-ed “GDP R.I.P” by Eric Zencey, an ESC professor
- Steady state economy + downsides of growth
- Life after growth -video
- Environmental Economics – link btw clean environment & growth
- Temperature and Growth – hotter climate – slower growth?
- Does Trade Help the Environment? -mr
- What is Ecological Economics? problems with GDP, etc
- Ecological Economics – video
- What is the value of nature? -video
- Valuation of ecosystem services – methods
- The Environment and Economy in Conflict – video
- Limits to economic growth – video
- Standards of Living and Modern Economic Growth– encyclopedia
- Environmental pollution in China – pictures
- Air pollution from China travels to US – treehugger new
- Chapter 2. A new bottom line for progress – alternative measures of wellbeing
- The Good Life –economic growth and happiness, 2min
- HW 3
4. Public goods, externalities
- Public goods – youtube
- Public vs. Private Goods – video
- Public Goods by Tyler Cowen
- Tragedy of the commons – youtube
- Externalities: When a Potato Chip Not a Potato Chip?-liberty
- Negative Externalities – with graph
- Externalities – youtube
- Market Failures – youtube
- None of top industries would be profitable if they paid full cost of resources – grist
- The secret lives of our clothes – full cost of jeans, video
- The story of bottled water … electronics …. cosmetics …
- The Story of Stuff – video
- Infographic: Americans and their trash -more hidden costs
- Optional: Bloom, ‘Climate Change’ – ch 10
- HW4
5. Energy supply: Fossil vs Renewable
- Brown, ‘Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization’-read ch 5
- Bloom, ‘Climate Change’ – browse ch 8
- R.Muller, Physics for future presidents – ‘Solutions’ section
- Energy Basics and Economics of Energy – EIA info
- Energy stats from EIA , sources, etc – for big kids like us
- 300 years of fossil fuels – animated 5 min video
- The long rise of solar and wind – V.Smil
- MacKay, Sustainable Energy –book chapters in green
- Biofuels and bioprospecting for beginners – biofuels
- Wind energy – plan B
- Nuclear Energy -pros and cons
- Countries using renewable energy – article
- Alternative energy sources of the future -more power
- Is there a Natural Resource Curse?
- Ten most distortionary energy subsidies- encyclopedia of earth
- HW 5
6. Energy demand: transport & cities
- Brown, ‘Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization’-read ch 4,6
- Bloom, ‘Climate Change’ – ch 7
- Suburban sprawl info video – newurbanism.org
- World’s greenest cities – bloomberg
- HW 6
7. Sustainable lifestyle
- Brown, ‘Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization’-read ch 8-9
- Climate-Smart Agriculture: Produce More Food
- World fresh water animation – 1% of water good for agriculture
- Livestock emissions – Guardian
- Real impact of food on environment – WE Forum
- Why Agriculture is Important – mruniversity
- Green Revolution – mruniversity
- Micronutrients -mruniversity
- GMOs – mruniversity
- Productivity Decline – food prices increase
- Economies of scale & watermelons -mass production-lower price
- Food and Farming – section of MacKay, Sustainable Energy
- Food security and food prices – United Nations report
- Chapter 4. The Challenges of Sustainable Lifestyles -‘download’
supply, demand:
- Demand – youtube econ lessons
- Change in Demand vs Change in Quantity Demanded – youtube
- Supply – youtube
- Market Equilibrium – youtube
- The Demand Curve – mruniversity lessons
- The Supply Curve
- The Equilibrium Price
- A Deeper Look at the Demand Curve
- The Demand Curve Shifts
- A Deeper Look at the Supply Curve
- The Supply Curve Shifts
- Exploring Equilibrium
- Does the Equilibrium Model Work?
- Supply and Demand Terminology
8. What can individuals, businesses and governments do?
- Plan B chapter 10
- Bloom, ‘Climate Change’ – browse ch 9
Consumers & Businesses:
- http://www.goodguide.com/ – products rated
- Good Stuff? A Guide to the Things We Buy – products
- Your EcoFootprint– part1, and part 2 – youtube
- Ecological Footprint – method, calculator
- Green careers and jobs – description of green jobs
- Does “Fair Trade” Help? – should we buy fair trade coffee?
- Greener living – EPA tips for businesses, individuals
Government policies:
- Top 10 Policies for a Steady-State Economy – by Herman Daly
- Economic incentives used by EPA – EPA
- The story of cap and trade – criticizes cap and trade
Communities:
- http://greenbronxmachine.org – social entrepreneurship
- The story of solutions – Anne Leonard
- The story of change – Anne Leonard
- HW 8
Final project
The final project is an opportunity demonstrate your research abilities and to apply your knowledge of environmental economics to address a real world problem. Your task is to write a paper (8 pages) or prepare a PowerPoint presentation (15-20 slides), or a Prezi on a topic of your choice. You may use any resources you like for this project, including course links, books, journal articles, the Internet, personal interviews, reports in the media, etc. Be sure to name your sources properly.
Here are several project ideas:
1. Describe how a specific company have become more eco-friendly. Consider a firm which does not have environmentalism as an inherent part of its mission, for example Sony, Volvo, Bank of America, Walmart, etc. You may want to choose a company that is accounting for recycle content from the start of engineering and brings the material back into the production stream at the end of useful life. Or you may examine how a retailing business is applying sustainable, eco-eco principles to their operations, including encouraging suppliers to apply eco-principles in production.
2. Use your own employer to develop ways for your company’s production process to become more eco-friendly. Describe the inputs, outputs and current technology. Compare your firm to others in the industry. Your suggestions may include using energy and raw materials more efficiently, recycling, internal environmental programs such as cash back for employees who buy a hybrid, etc. Try to do some cost-benefit analysis of your proposals.
3. Read the ebook by P.Barnes, “Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons.” Discuss its main ideas:
4. Research “climate engineering” or “geoengineering” as solutions to reducing global CO2 . One approach is to increase reflectivity of the earth in order to reduce solar heating and thereby reduce warming. Other methods include dumping nutrients into the sea to increase plant growth. What methods have been proposed?
- World economic forum environmental news – trends
- Green Cars – news & reports
- Treehugger Business News – big biz turning green, govt policies
- Toxic Land Generates Solar Energy -NJ project
- Interesting model of “circular economy” – buying services
- Green Business Guide from Natural Resources Defense Council – tips to make your business greener
- Biddle: We can recycle plastic – TED
- Jones: The economic injustice of plastic TED, plastic pollution
- Cohen: Tough truths about plastic pollution– TED
- Carter: Greening the ghetto -TED, developing NYC
- Anderson: The business logic of sustainability – TED, human impact equation, can it be modified?
- Eco-village movement
- Environmental Performance Index – Yale findings
- The World Bank Environmental factsheets by country
- Intern Energy Stats – emissions by country -US IEA
5. Browse through news and examine in depth a particular local or global environmental problem of your choice (for example: energy, fisheries, forests, water, trade). Outline the problem, its economic implications, specific shortcomings of the current policy approach and make recommendations for specific changes in policy and specific changes in the factors that are considered when policy is formulated. Find current policies, hot topics here:
- Worldwatch Institute – environmental news & report
- US Environmental Protection Agency
- Issues from Natural Resources Defense Council
The following questions may be helpful for analyzing your environmental issue
- 1. What are the main historical and current causes (i.e., physical/biotic, social/cultural, or economic) of the issue?
- 2. What is the geographic scale, the spatial distribution, and the longevity of the issue?
- 3. What are the major risks and consequences to the natural environment?
- 4. What are the major risks and consequences to human systems?
- 5. What are the economic implications?
- 6. What are the major currently implemented or proposed solutions?
- 7. What are the obstacles to these solutions?
- 8. What major social values (e.g., economic, ecological, political, aesthetic) are involved in or infringed upon by these solutions?
- 9. What group(s) of people would be adversely impacted by or bear the costs of these solutions?
- 10. What is the political status of the problem and solutions?
- 11. How does this issue relate to other environmental issues?
Research links for your project:
- BOOK Daly, Farley, “Ecological Economics”, 2004 –ESC electronic library
- BOOK State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy
- BOOK An Introduction to Ecological Economics, 1997
- BOOK Eco-Economy by L.Brown , 2001
- Economy, Society and the Environment – neweconomics.org
- BOOK UN Global Environment Outlook
- BOOK Valuing Ecosystem Services
- World Bank environmental data by country, by topic
- The Encyclopedia of Earth – find info on any topic
- The World Resources Institute – research on a variety of topics
- UN Environmental Program – research on a variety of topics
- Natural Resources Defense Council –policy issues,news
- Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/about
- Environmental policy lecture notes
- Yale video lectures: http://academicearth.org/subjects/environmental-studies
- Benefit-Cost Analysis – encyclopedia of economics
- Global Warming – PBS
- Al Gore Global Warming in 10 min – youtube
- American Wind Energy association: awea.org
- Green Tech Media: www.greentechmedia.com
- Solar Energy Industries Association: www.seia.org
- Geothermal Energy Association: www.geo-energy.org
- American Council on Renewable Energy: www.acore.org
- Global warming 101 – Roy Spencer
- Resources for the future: http://www.rff.org/Research_Topics/Pages/default.aspx
- WSJ: The Energy Roundup
- Global Warming – NYTimes – news related to env policy
- NYTimes green business blog
- Environmental Econ 101 – with graphs
- Martenson on energy, money and the economy -an opinion
- Population and the Environment– set of Yale video lectures
- Free Online Textbook for Sustainability
- A Renewable World: Energy, Ecology, Equality – free online book
- http://www.fte.org/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/ewelessons/
- http://www.fte.org/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/eelessons/
- The new economy working group
- Facts About Fracking scishow
- http://css.snre.umich.edu/page/teaching-resources – main issues and laws
- Global problem of population growth – Yale course
- Energy economics, world energy outlook, stats – BP
- Textbook “Sustainability: a Comprehensive Foundation (Theis and Tomkin, Eds.): http://www.earth.illinois.edu/sustain/sustainability_text.html
- Climate change knowledge portal – world bank temperature info
- MacKay, Sustainable Energy –- Without the Hot Air browse part I (ch 1-18)
- Oil: where it came from and where it’s going – history of oil, 1 h 20 min documentary
- Fundamental principles of energy– Encyc of earth
- Energy transitions past and future – Encyc of earth
- Where Does All the CO2 Come From in the US? – 5 min video
- Kunstler: How bad architecture wrecked cities – TED
- A Cost-Benefit Approach to Public Policy
- PBS online video series on climate change, economy, and politics
- Goodwin – Perspectives on Limits to Growth: World on the Edge
- Johan Rockstrom: Let environment guide our development – TED
- David Keith: A surprising idea for “solving” climate change -TED
- Steffen: The route to a sustainable future – TED
- Al Gore: New thinking on the climate crisis – TED
- Top 10 greenest cities – huffington