Environmental Economics and Policy

This subject applies economic theory to environmental issues. Topics include the theories of externalities and public goods applied to pollution and environmental policy; trade-offs between environmental goals and growth; how to value environmental amenities and environmental damage; marketing of environmentally-friendly products; life-cycle costs and recycling; the relative costs and benefits of environmental standards, bans, subsidies, pollution taxes and cap-and-trade systems; valuing the benefits provided by renewable energy; and remediation and clean-up. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the analytical tools necessary to evaluate a broad range of environmental policies.