Economics 255: Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Winter 2012
Instructor: Jim Casey
Contact Info: 214 Holekamp Hall, Ext.
8102, Email: Caseyj
Prerequisite: Economics 101
This course meets MWF, in Huntley 324, from 10:10 to 11:05 and 11:15 to 12:10
Office Hours: MTWTh
Friday by appointment
Contents:
(1) Course Objectives
(2)
Readings
(3) Requirements and Grading
(4) Course Outline
(1)Course Objectives: The course is an introduction to both environmental and natural resource economics. Throughout the semester we will see how economic principles can be and are being used in public and private decision making involving the management and use of environmental and natural resources. Aspects pertaining to fisheries, forests, species diversity, agriculture, solid waste and various economic policies to reduce air, water and toxic pollution will be discussed. We will spend a significant amount of time looking at the relationship between energy acquisition and global climate change. The lectures, reading assignments, discussions and papers will be directed at using microeconomic analysis for dealing with environmental and natural resource problems.
By the end of the semester, (1) you should be able to analyze current environmental and natural resource management issues using basic economic models. (2) You should be familiar with the concept of market failure and (3) how non-market valuation techniques are used to value environmental and natural resources. Lastly, (4) you should be comfortable using economic analysis to explain policy interventions aimed at reducing environmental externalities.
(2) Readings:
Kahn, James R. The Economic Approach to Environmental and Natural Resources, Thomson-Southwest, Third Edition 2005.
Selected articles (online)
Klare, Michael T. Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Petroleum Dependency, Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company, 2004.
(3) Requirements: (1) There will be two exams each worth 35%. (2) 5 random quizzes (on the day's assigned reading) worth 10% and (3) the remaining 20% is for blog participation.
Exam 1 - Friday, February 17
Exam 2 -
Other Blogs to Read
Grading:
|
Grade |
A |
A- |
B+ |
B |
B- |
C+ |
C |
C- |
D+ |
D |
D- |
F |
|
Points |
92.5 |
90.0 |
87.5 |
82.5 |
80.0 |
77.5 |
72.5 |
70.0 |
67.5 |
62.5 |
60.0 |
<60.00 |
This is directly from the course catalogue
GRADES
Grading Scheme
A+, A, A- Superior
B+, B, B- Good
C +, C, C- Fair
D +, D, D- (Marginal)
E (Conditional Failure)
F (Failure)
(4) Course Outline:
I. I. Theory and Tools of Environmental and Resource
Economics
WEEK 1:
Tuesday, Jan 11: Intro and Kahn ch. 1
Thursday, Jan 13: Kahn ch. 2 and Stavins Readings (handout)
WEEK 2:
Tuesday, Jan 18: Kahn ch. 3 -
Thursday, Jan 20: Reading TBA
WEEK 3
Tuesday, Jan 25: Kahn ch. 4 and Kahn ch. 5
Thursday, Jan 27: The Tragedy of the Commons and
Conservation Reconsidered - http://www.rff.org/rff/Events/upload/29660_1.pdf
II. Renewable Resources and Agriculture:
WEEK 4: Water and Fisheries
Tuesday, Feb 1: Kahn chs. 11 and 15
Thursday, Feb 3:and Marine Protected Areas: Economic and Social Implications
http://home.wlu.edu/~caseyj/Marine%20Resourcesch11.ppt
WEEK 5: Forests
Tuesday, Feb 8: Kahn Ch.12 and 13
Thursday, Feb 10: Reading - Pattanayak et al. 2010 (on the blog)
WEEK 6: Biodiversity and Agriculture
Tuesday, Feb 15: Kahn ch. 14 and 17
Thursday, Feb 17: Reading TBA and review for exam.
III. Energy and climate change - You will notice an (R) or (O) next to each reading. (R) = Required (O) = Optional
WEEK 7: Introduction
Tuesday, March 1: Begin discussion of Blood and Oil (R) and Kahn ch. 8 (R)
Take Home Exam # 1is Wednesday March 2 by 5 pm.
Thursday, March 3: Kahn ch. 9 (R) and ch. 7 (R)
Climate Policy beyond Copenhagen.ppt (O)
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/ozone-depletion-overview.html (O)
http://www.ted.com/talks/debate_does_the_world_need_nuclear_energy.html - we will watch this in class.
WEEK 8: Foundations
Tuesday, March 8:
ENERGY
http://www.rff.org/RFF/Documents/RFF-IB-04-01.pdf(R)
http://www.rff.org/RFF/Documents/RFF-IB%2006-02.pdf(R)
AIR POLLUTION
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/308/5723/804.full.pdf?sid=dc396739-1fcb-42da-a60a-57f8500b36ff (R)
CLIMATE CHANGE
Back to the Future: The Great Climate Experiment (R)
http://tigger.uic.edu/~pdoran/012009_Doran_final.pdf (R)
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/305/5686/932.full.pdf?sid=bdf5f236-65d0-4674-9392-5d816aa2fd59(R)
Thursday, March 10:
THE POWER PROBLEM
http://schraglab.unix.fas.harvard.edu/publications/CV86.pdf(R)
http://harvardmag.com/pdf/2006/05-pdfs/0506-40.pdf (R)WEEK 9: Economics
Tuesday, March 15:
http://bostonreview.net/BR32.1/stern.php (R)
http://www.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1210&context=ev (R)
http://www.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1685&context=ev (R)
Thursday, March 17:
RFFClimate (R)
http://www.mi.uni-hamburg.de/fileadmin/fnu-files/publication/tol/enpolmargcost.pdf (R)
WEEK 10: Policy
Tuesday, March 22:
Thursday, March 24 - RFFClimate (R) continue reviewing models
IV. Development and Environment
WEEK 11:
Tuesday, March 29:
http://www.rff.org/RFF/Documents/RFF_NEPI_Exec_Sumamry.pdf (R)
http://www.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1718&context=ev (R)
http://www.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1219&context=ev (R)
http://schraglab.unix.fas.harvard.edu/publications/CV83.pdf (R)
http://schraglab.unix.fas.harvard.edu/publications/CV116.pdf (O)
http://schraglab.unix.fas.harvard.edu/publications/CV105.pdf (O)
http://schraglab.unix.fas.harvard.edu/publications/CV104.pdf (O)
Thursday, March 31:
http://www.rff.org/rff/documents/rff-dp-08-26.pdf (R)
http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/ReviewSolGW09.pdf (O)
WEEK 12:
Tuesday, April 5: Kahn ch. 6 (R)
Thursday, April 7: Welcome to the Anthropocene (R) and Review for final exam