By Anne-Marie Codur, Jonathan M. Harris and Maliheh Birjandi Feriz Deforestation and degradation of forests and wetlands is a major contributor to climate change. At the same time, forests and other ecosystems have immense capacity to store carbon and to contribute to balancing global cycles of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases. Policies to […]
By Anne-Marie Codur, Jonathan M. Harris and Kayleigh Fay There is increasing evidence that ambitious goals to mitigate climate change, such as those set for by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change cannot be met without a substantial contribution from increased absorption of carbon dioxide by soils, forests and wetlands. This module focuses on the agricultural […]
By Brian Roach and Jonathan M. Harris This module provides thorough coverage of the issues involved in shifting from dependence on fossil fuels to renewable energy. Fossil fuel still provide about 80 percent of world’s energy. A transition to renewable energy is underway, but it needs to be accelerated to meet climate goals. Energy taxes […]
by David Timmons, Jonathan Harris and Brian Roach. This module covers issues that are central to the transition to renewable energy, including the potential of solar energy, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower and other low-carbon energy sources. It stresses the crucial role of energy efficiency in facilitating a transition to renewables, and discusses issues including electrification, […]
By Tim Thornton A well-being economy is orientated around promoting human well-being and ecological balance rather than focusing on ever increasing economic growth. Encouragingly, the idea of the well-being economy has transitioned from academic and community discussion to something that is being operationalized by governments. The concept of the well-being economy is being translated into […]
The world is experiencing unprecedented environmental and economic challenges posed by climate change. The need to reduce carbon emissions by identifying and executing effective technologies for mitigating carbon emissions is critical. One such technology is carbon dioxide removal. In a new journal article published in PLOS Climate, June Sekera and coauthors examine two contrasting approaches […]
by Jonathan M. Harris, Brian Roach and Anne-Marie Codur This module, based on chapters 12 and 13 of Harris and Roach’s textbook, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary Approach, discusses the scientific evidence on climate change, including recent projections on temperature and sea-level rise. It then evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of economic analysis of […]
By Eric Kemp-Benedict This upper-level module presents the study of “green macroeconomics,” viewing the economy as embedded in society, which is embedded in the environment. The module takes a pluralist approach, contrasting neoclassical, post-Keynesian and classical theory, but uses classical models for illustration. Topics include climate mitigation and adaptation, renewable resources, and energy return on […]
By Erin Lennox and Rebecca Hollender This module considers the problems of environmental degradation and inequality in relation to growth-centric development. Perspectives on alternatives to growth along with related policies, practices and challenges are discussed to explain the need to limit economic activity to within the biophysical limits of the planet. The module features extensive […]
ECI Senior Researcher Julie Nelson’s article, “Economics and Community Knowledge-Making,” was published in the Journal of Economic Methodology in January 2021. The paper suggests that the economics discipline is beginning to acknowledge the social nature of knowledge-making, which contrasts with the field’s tradition of imagining objectivity as “something attainable by lone (traditionally male) researchers.” Positive […]