Economics of Climate Change

Knowledge

Basic knowledge in Economics

Description

The course deals with the theoretical foundations and economic policy applications of environmental and climate economics. It comprises a theory block in which the lecturer first presents the basics. At the same time, students work on papers on selected topics, which are presented in the second part of the course. Guest speakers may be invited to individual units of the second block. The specific content of the course is as follows:

• Economic fundamentals and environmental and climate policy
• Instruments of environmental and climate policy
• Market failure vs. policy failure in climate policy
• Interdisciplinary analyses of climate policy
• Applications of climate policy instruments in the mobility, electricity, heating, and agriculture sectors 

Learning objectives

By examining the economic foundations of environmental and climate policy, students will be enabled to understand and justify environmental and climate policy measures. This requires in-depth knowledge of environmental economics. In addition, participants will learn to develop solutions to climate policy problems, evaluate them using appropriate criteria, and place them in the overall context of environmental policy.

E-learning

yes

Preparation

Endres, Alfred: Environmental Economics – Theory and Policy. 3rd ed., Cambridge University Press 2011.

Field, Barry C. and Martha K.: Environmental Economics – An Introduction. 8th ed. McGraw-Hill International 2020.

Fritsch, Michael: Marktversagen und Wirtschaftspolitik. Marktversagen und Wirtschaftspolitik: Mikroökonomische Grundlagen staatlichen Handelns, 10. Aufl. Vahlen 2018.

Tietenberg, T.H. & Lewis, L. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, 12th ed., Routledge 2024.

Comment

The course is divided into two parts. After an introductory block presenting the essential theoretical foundations, student presentations will be used to discuss important issues in environmental and climate policy.

Detailed information about the examinations

The prerequisites for successful completion of the course are

• regular active participation
• the completion of a term paper (60%) with a presentation on the topic (40%)
• the delivery of a short co-presentation (“expert function” - ungraded).

Second additional field

Please indicate the language of the course here:

English