GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
GRADO EN ESTUDIOS GLOBALES/GLOBAL STUDIES
Curso 2023/2024
1. Subject Information
(Date last modified: 02-06-23 14:23)- Code
- 109039
- Plan
- 290
- ECTS
- 4.00
- Type
- Opcional
- Year
- 3
- Duration
- First semester
- Language
- ENGLISH
- Area
- ECONOMÍA APLICADA
- Departament
- Economía Aplicada
- Virtual platform
Professor Information
- Profesor/Profesora
- Luis Garrido Mateos
- Group/s
- Único
- Centre
- Fac. Economía y Empresa
- Office
- 113 de la Facultad de Derecho,
- Office hours
- By appointment.
- Web address
- https://derecho.usal.es/staff/garrido-mateos-luis/
- luisgarrimateos@usal.es
- Phone
- Ext. 1689
- Profesor/Profesora
- Fernando Carmelo Rodríguez López
- Group/s
- Único
- Centre
- Fac. Ciencias Agrarias y Ambientales
- Office
- 4.1
- Office hours
- By appointment
- Web address
- https://produccioncientifica.usal.es/investigadores/56322/publicaciones
- frodriguez@usal.es
- Phone
- 923294500 ext 1625
2. Association of the subject matter within the study plan
3. Prerequisites
4. Learning objectives
The students will enhance their knowledge, analysis capacity and critical view about the following:
1. Environmental degradation as an instance of market failure and impact on equity.
2. Main local, regional, and global environmental challenges, as well as their geopolitical and socioeconomic impacts.
3. Case studies on the use of efficient, scale, cost-effective and natural-capital-based instruments.
4. International treaties and agreements to deal with common environmental challenges.
5. Contents
Theory.
1. Social welfare, efficiency, and equity.
2. Environmental externalities.
3. Main global environmental challenges: the planetary boundaries.
4. Main regional environmental challenges: water, land, air pollution, acidification.
5. Valuation of natural capital.
6. Efficient, scale and cost-effective instruments. Green fiscal reforms and double dividend. Polluter-pays principle.
Practice.
1. Decarbonization in China.
2. Overpopulation, food production, and food security in developing countries.
3. Lithium mining in Latin America.
4. Human impact on biodiversity.
5. Environmental issues in today’s big cities.
6. Competences acquired
Basic / General.
As stated in the official supporting documents for the degree in Global Studies
Specific.
As stated in the official supporting documents for the degree in Global Studies
7. Teaching methods
The teaching methodology will be based on lectures, guided readings, and debates on students’ presentations
8. Anticipated distribution of the use of the different teaching methods
9. Resources
Reference books.
Buchholz, W. (2019): Foundations of Environmental Economics, Springer.
Hanley, N (2007): Environmental economics in theory and practice, Palgrave
Tietenberg, T. (2009): Environmental economics and policy, Pearson.
Web sites:
CORE-ECON project (https://www.core-econ.org/)
European Commission – Environment (https://ec.europa.eu/environment/index_en.htm)
IPBES (https://ipbes.net/)
IPCC (https://www.ipcc.ch/)
Stockholm Resilience Center (https://www.stockholmresilience.org/)
Sustainable Development Goals (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/)
TEEB (http://www.teebweb.org/)
UN Environment Programme (https://www.unenvironment.org/)
10. Assessment
General considerations.
The aim is not to make the student memorize the materials, but to let them understand the rationale behind them and apply the acquired skills and knowledge to the analysis of different environmental issues.
Assessment criteria.
Acquisition and internalization of the general and specific skills of the course, applied to the set of contents of the course. The evaluation will focus on the understanding of the rationale behind environmental problems and their solution proposals, the deepness in the search and analysis of data and argumentations in related documents and web pages, and the ability to apply this all to different contexts and situations.
Assessment tools.
The grade will be based on a final exam complemented with, if the circumstances permit, information on the student’s ongoing evaluation (assignments and presentations).
Assessment recommendations.
Given the comprehensive approach of the course, a strictly continuous work by the student is highly recommended.