ECN372F Climate Economics - Online Version
Credits (ECTS):10
Course responsible:Knut Einar Rosendahl
Campus / Online:Online
Teaching language:Engelsk
Course frequency:Annually
Nominal workload:250 hours
Teaching and exam period:This course starts in Autumn parallel. This course has teaching/evaluation in Autumn parallel.
About this course
The course consists of two main parts:
I) THE GLOBAL CLIMATE REGIME AND CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS. Here we discuss how to deal with the climate change problem from a global perspective, incl. factors affecting the global climate negotiations and agreements such as the Paris agreement. Topics include: 1. Economic costs of climate change - how to value future damage costs, and how to balance these against the costs of reducing emissions? 2. Main principles for the global climate regime, and distribution of mitigation efforts between countries; and 3. Climate negotiations and agreements - what does economic theory tell us, and what is actually happening in the negotiations?
II) NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE POLICIES. Here we discuss different policies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases including: 1. Policies to reduce emissions in Norway and the EU; 2. Climate and technology policies; 3. Carbon leakage from national climate policies; and 4. Policies for implementing Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries.
Learning outcome
The students should:
- Apply environmental economic theory on the climate change problem, including explaining what is optimal reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from a global perspective, and which factors that are important in this respect.
- Apply game theory to explain what drives countries' positions in the climate negotiations, and what kind of climate agreements one may expect based on economic theory.
- Identify, analyse and understand the effects of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the effect on emissions, costs, technological progress, and carbon leakage.
- Identify, analyse and understand driving forces behind deforestation in developing countries, and how policies might be used to reduce deforestation.
- Have knowledge about the international climate regime and climate policies, and insight to assess the effects of proposed climate policies.
- Work both independently and in pairs in preparing written reports, making oral presentation and taking part in scientific discussions.
Lectures (including guest lecturers) with streaming and recording.
Preparation of written discussion notes and oral presentation.
- Feedback related to writing discussion notes.
Basic Microeconomics such as ECN110 Microeconomics I - How to Think Like an Economist.
Basic Environmental Economics such as ECN170 Environmental and Resource Economics.
- Intermediate Microeconomics such as ECN210 Intermediate Microeconomics - Consumers, Producers, Market and Welfare or ECN211 Intermediate Microeconomics - Institutions, Games and Market Failures.
- Written exam on campus (3.5 hours) that accounts for 100% of the grade.
Written Exam at Home Grading: Passed / Not Passed - External examiner will control the quality of questions for the exam, and principles for the assessment.
Writing at least two discussion notes.
Oral presentation of own discussion note and oral comment/question to someone else's note.
Approved activities are valid until the next time the course is given. No re-examination is offered.
The course is given in English. Discussion notes must be written and presented in English. The same applies for the exam.
Master students at the School of Economics and Business should choose ECN372 Climate Economics instead.
- 2x2 hours lectures until end of October, and then presentations of discussion notes
- Minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway (generell studiekompetanse)