Course code ECN372

ECN372 Climate Economics

Norsk emneinformasjon

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Showing course contents for the educational year 2018 - 2019 .

Course responsible: Knut Einar Rosendahl
Teachers: Arild Einar Bjørn Angelsen, Ståle Navrud
ECTS credits: 10
Faculty: School of Economics and Business
Teaching language: EN
(NO=norsk, EN=Engelsk)
Limits of class size:
-
Teaching exam periods:
This course has teaching/evaluation in Autumn parallel.
Course frequency: Annually
First time: Study year 2009-2010
Preferential right:
.
Course contents:

The course consists of two main parts:

i) THE GLOBAL CLIMATE REGIME AND CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS. Here we discuss 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 deal with risk and uncertainty? 2. Main principles for the global climate regime - emission targets, global carbon price etc. 3. Fair distribution of emission targets between countries. 4. The climate game - what does economic theory tell us, and what is actually happening in the negotiations?

ii) NATIONAL CLIMATE POLICIES. Here we discuss different policies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. 1. Policies to reduce emissions in Norway and the EU. 2. Climate and technology policies. 3. Carbon leakage from national climate policies. 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.
  • Analyse and understand the effects of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the effect on emissions, costs, technological progress, and carbon leakage.
  • 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.
Learning activities:
Lectures including guest lecturers. Write and hand in 2-3 discussion notes, and present one of these in class. At least one of the notes should be group work.
Teaching support:
Some supervision related to writing discussion notes.
Syllabus:
Selected journal articles and book chapters
Prerequisites:
ECN210 Intermediate Microeconomics- Consumers, Producers, Market and Welfare or ECN211 Intermediate Microeconomics - Institutions, Games and Market Failures or an equivalent course in microeconomics. ECN170 Environmental and Resource Economics (or ECN275 Natural Resource and Environmental Economics - theory) or equivalent basic course in environmental and resource economics.
Recommended prerequisites:
ECN275 Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, or an equivalent intermediate course in environmental economics.
Mandatory activity:
Two compulsory lectures (with own and other students' presentations). At least two of three discussion notes must be delivered and approved. Approved activities are valid until the next time the course is given. No re-examination is offered. 
Assessment:
Oral exam. The grade is determined based on two written discussion notes, the presentation of one of these in class, and the oral exam. The discussion notes, the presentation, and the examination of one discussion note during the exam jointly count 50%, while the rest of the oral exam count 50%.
Nominal workload:
300 hours.
Entrance requirements:
Minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway (generell studiekompetanse)
Type of course:
34-36 hours (mainly lectures, but also presentations of discussion notes)
Note:
-
Examiner:
External Examiner for the oral examination.
Examination details: Oral exam: A - E / Ikke bestått