EVST-3050 : Economics and the Environment

How much fertilizer and pesticide pollution is too much? What role should government play in regulating the environment? How do we stop depletion of fisheries? Will clean technology lay the foundation for cities' sustainable future? This course provides an introduction to the analytical tools used by economists to answer these and other important policy questions. The course presents an overview of environmental, natural resource, and ecological economics concepts with practical application to our most pressing environmental challenges. The first portion of the course focuses on the basic microeconomic theories that will be used throughout the quarter. The remainder of the course examines how economic theories and tools help us understand natural resource management (forests, fisheries, water, pollution control, etc.) and ecological economics. Course material will be presented through a combination of lectures, films and other media, and class discussions.