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ECON2216.03 (2024, Summer): The Economics of Global Warming

发布时间：2024-05-24

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Faculty of Science: Department of Economics

Course Syllabus

ECON2216.03 (2024, Summer): The Economics of Global Warming

Part A: Course Information

Course Description:

This course uses economic principles to investigate such questions as: What are the benefits and costs of various time paths for abating emissions? How do we value the well-being of future generations? How do we balance helping the poor with environmental sustainability? What policies can align incentives with environmental sustainability?

Course Prerequisites and Exclusions:

PREREQUISITES: ECON 1101.03 with minimum grade of C.

EXCLUSIONS: ECON2850.06, PHYC2850.06

Note: “PHYC2800: Climate Change” is a course on climate change science which complements ECON2216. Taking both PHYC2800 and ECON2216 is similar to taking “The Science and Economics of Climate Change (ECON2850.06 or PHYC2850.06), a full credit course (offered in June) but with more integration of the science and economics. ECON2216.03 or ECON/PHYC2850.06 provides knowledge and skills that will be built upon or complement upper level environmental stream courses including: Econ3335: Environmental Economics, ECON3332: Resource Economics and ECON4350: Social Cost Benefit Analysis.

Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

1. Understand basic science of greenhouse gases (GHGs) including their causes, impacts and ways to reduce them.

2. Understand that the GHG problem is not only technical but is also social due to “externalities” and requires both technical and social solutions.

3. Understand key categories of net abatement costs, climate change impacts and damages, the magnitude of estimates, estimation methods and the degree of uncertainty.

4. Understand policy solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change and pros and cons.

5. Practice problem solving skills by applying economics in the context of global warming.

6. Apply basic linear algebra to find variables such as socially efficient carbon prices and gain skills plotting graphs and using these to evaluate and compare policies.

7. Learn how to find scientifically valid information on the GHG problem.

8. Learn and practice critical thinking, writing, and communicating.

9. Understand ethical and moral dimensions the GHG problem and its solutions.

10. Understand the seriousness and urgency of the GHG problem and how you can help.

11. Understand that country pledges to reduce emissions under the Paris Agreement are

insufficient to meet Paris Agreement temperature target and that current policy is not on track to meet these pledges.

“Education is a process of living, and not a preparation for future living.” John Dewey “The human mind is our fundamental resource.” John F. Kennedy

Brightspace Learning Management System:

Online material for the course is available in Brightspace under “content”, “discussions”, “announcements” and “Assessments” .

Students are responsible for checking “Announcements” regularly to be sure not to miss important information.

Conversion of numerical grades to Final Letter Grades follows the Dalhousie Common

Grade Scale

A+ (90-100) A (85-89)

A- (80-84)

B+ (77-79)

B (73-76)

B- (70-72)

C+ (65-69)

C (60-64)

C- (55-59)

D (50-54)

F (<50)

Details on Course Work and Assessment

Country Project: Each student will sign up for a country and will prepare a poster to be presented at the Mock United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC) 28th Meetings of the Committee of Parties (COP28) to be held in Baka. Note that students may work in groups of 1 to 3 students.

*Component*	*Task*	*Due* *Date*	*Mark* *Scheme*
*Assn* 1	- Sign up for a Country. - Download Emissions Data from the World Bank and one Kaya identity driver and import into Excel.	*Tues.* *May* 14th	5
*Assn*2	- Use Excel to calculate various quantities and graph your data and export to a Word file. Describe the trends. - Conduct research to make reasonable hypothesis regarding trends illustrated in your graphs and write these down.	*Tues.* *May* 21	5
*Assn*3	- Download the remaining Kaya Identity emissions drivers, make graphs and analyze trends and make more hypothesis regarding trends based on research.	*Tues* *June* 4	5
*Assn*4	- Research your country's Nationally Determined Contributions, main abatement options, impacts, NDC targets, and policies. - Discuss whether you think your country is doing enough and provide suggestions for how to make the target.	*Tues* *June* 11	5
*Assn* 5	Combine the information gathered in Assn 1-4 into a poster and submit to the UNFCCC Poster Sessions under "Discussions" and also the project drop box under "Assignments". If you have chosen the video option, make a video to explain your poster and submit with your poster to the video session.	*Tues.,* *June* 18th	7 *(poster)* 7 *(optional* *video)*
*Assn* 6	Provide Feedback and evaluate a sample of other posters and or videos, self appraisal.	*Thurs,* *June* 20	5

* your grade is the top 3 grades of Assn 1 to 4 (15 marks) plus the grade for Assn5 (7 or 14 marks) and Assn6 (marks)

Readings: are posted on the first page of the slides.

Lecture Slides/Videos: These and other material are posted on Tuesday and Thursday.

When you log into Brightspace, first visit announcements for new information. The videos may vary in length and may not cover all topics in the slides. To ask questions, use Discussions and/or visit the professor and/or TAs during Virtual Office Hours. If your question is likely to be of general interest to the class, we prefer that you use Discussions. However, you may email your questions to the TAs or professor particularly if the question is not of general interest to the class.

Midterm and Final Exam: contain a mixture of Brightspace Quiz questions (ex. multiple choice, matching, ordering, fill in the blank) and written components (ex. graphing, microeconomic problems, short explanations and/or short essay).

Assignments: Your grade will be the average of the best 3 out of 4 assignments. You must

hand in individual assignments, which must be written in your own words. These may contain written and Brightspace Quiz components. Written components must be submitted via

Assessments >> Assignments as ONE PDF file (unless specified otherwise) such that pages are aligned with the top corresponding to the top of the computer screen to help markers. TAs will mark a selection of submitted questions. Brightspace quiz components should be submitted via

Assessments>>Quizzes

Practice Problems: These are provided for practice and are NOT handed in. Answers are

posted so you can check your answers and if you get stuck, you may peak at answers to help you to see how to proceed. However, do your best to try the problem on your own before peaking at the answers.

Discussion Board Participation (optional):

Participate in Discussion board forums by means such as asking a question, making a comment, relating class content to real world events (ex. link to news article with brief explanation), or responding to posts made by the professor, TAs, or other students, and making helpful posts.

You may either use your name or participate anonymously (meaning that other class members will not know who you are but the professor and teaching assistants will know your name).

Discussion board participation is highly encouraged and constitutes an optional 5% of the grade (under scheme 1).

Virtual Office Hours: Held by the professor on Tuesday and Thursday (2 to 3 pm) in the

Collaborate Virtual Rooms assessable via Brightspace. TA office hours will be announced. If you are unable to make these hours and have a question, please email the professor or TAs to set up an appointment.

Virtual Rooms (Collaborate): These are used for office hours and students may use these rooms at other times.