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 Kaylee Wei With the goal of identifying global solutions to the unprecedented environmental and economic challenges that the world faces due to climate change, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) is currently underway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As countries negotiate the outcomes of the conference, carbon capture and storage (CCS), a […]
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 […]
By Jonathan M. Harris, Brian Roach, Pratistha Joshi Rajkarnikar and Neva Goodwin This module, based on Chapter 17 of Macroeconomics in Context, discusses the future of economic growth in an era of ecological limits. It includes analysis of population growth, resources and pollution, and the climate crisis. Policies for a transition to sustainability and a “green” […]
By Pratistha Rajkarnikar, Neva Goodwin and Brian Roach This module, drawn from the fifth chapter of Macroeconomics in Context, presents an overview of innovations in national accounting related to measuring well-being. The module describes satellite accounts for the environment, methods of counting household production and the construction of well-being indicators such as the Genuine Progress Indicator, […]
By Brian Roach, Neva Goodwin and Julie A. Nelson This module presents material drawn from Chapter 8 of Microeconomics in Context, 5th edition, to explore the various motivations behind consumer behavior. The historical development of the “consumer society” is summarized, including a discussion of the institutions underlying mass consumerism. The relationship between consumption and well-being is surveyed, […]