Universität Wien
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280234 VO The Environmental Crisis and Socio-Economic Transformation (2023W)

5.00 ECTS (3.00 SWS), SPL 28 - Erdwissenschaften, Meteorologie - Geophysik und
Moodle

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Details

Language: English

Examination dates

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Digital

  • Friday 06.10. 09:30 - 13:00 Friedrich Becke Seminarraum 2C315 3.OG UZA II
  • Friday 13.10. 09:30 - 13:00 Digital
  • Friday 20.10. 09:30 - 13:00 Digital
  • Friday 27.10. 09:30 - 13:00 Digital
  • Friday 03.11. 09:30 - 13:00 Digital
  • Friday 10.11. 09:30 - 13:00 Digital
  • Friday 17.11. 09:30 - 13:00 Digital
  • Friday 24.11. 09:30 - 13:00 Digital
  • Friday 01.12. 09:30 - 13:00 Digital

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The course is mainly concerned with concepts about the enivronment-economy relation, and how these concepts translate into strategies to avoid environmental harm.

Topics (selection)
Sustainable Development,
Economic Growth (GDP, technical progress, population growth, innovation, energy, renewable energy sources),
Environmental policies and regulation (goals of environmental policy, determinants and instruments of environmental policy, global institutions of environmental policy and regulation, the Kyoto Protocol and the European Carbon Trading Scheme and Paris Agreement, to name just a few).

The course is split into four lectures:
Lecture1: Content
Differences and similarities of natural sciences and social sciences.
Different (economic; social science) paradigms and their implications for socio-economic transformation (governance).
Learning outcomes:
You know what a scientific paradigm is.
You are familiar with some essential differences (and similarities) between natural and social sciences.
You are aware that economics and other social sciences are, in principle, multi-paradigmatic.
You are able to connect policies with their underlying economic rationale and paradigm.
You are aware of, how different paradigms conceptualize the relation between humans and their environment.
You know how Environmental Economics, Natural Resource Economics and Ecological Economics relate to different paradigms in economics.

Lecture 2: Content
Sustainable Development: Origins and History of the Discourse about Environmental Issues.
Social Ecological Crisis: Current Situation and Discourse.
Learning outcomes:
You are familiar with the term sustainable development and the political discourse around it.
You are familiar with the political discourse about how to deal with environmental issues and problems.
You are familiar with the term Social Ecological Crisis and challenges related to climate change.

Lecture 3: Content
Economic growth/GDP,
Green growth,
Degrowth.
Learning outcomes:
You are familiar with production oriented economic measures of progress.
You are able to see challenges and difficulties to reconcile production (and consumption) growth with environmental protection and conservation.
You are familiar with alternative concepts and indicators of economic progress (besides sustainable development).

Lecture 4: Content
Environmental valuation,
Sustainability measurement,
Environmental policy.
Learning outcomes:
You are familiar with the following methods, concerned with environmental valuation: Cost-Benefit Analysis, Input-Output Analysis, Multi-Criteria Analysis.
You are familiar with the following indices of socio ecological economic outcomes: Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), Genuine Progress Indicator, Sets of Indicators, Ecological Footprint, Material Input per Service Unit, Sustainable Progress Index, Happy Planet Index, Human Development Index.
You are familiar with principles, strategies and instruments of environmental politics.

Assessment and permitted materials

There will be either a written (at the university) or an oral (online) exam after the course. Another exam will be offered at the end of the term (January) and a third one at the beginning of the next term (March). A forth exam date is arranged based on student requirements and availability.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

NPI and PI: The students are able to explore concepts for maintaining or
improving the biophysical basis of economic activities by use of market-based, command-and-control and voluntary measures. They compare the neoclassical economic approach to environmental policy with concepts from institutional and ecological economics. The students can apply political science concepts for assessing different designs of environmental policies in the areas of air, water, soil and sediments. They are able to assess the interdependence of multiple levels of environmental governance (z.B. global, European and national levels).

Examination topics

Everything covered during class.

Reading list

Recommended Literature:
Gowdy, J. and O'Hara, S., 1995. Economic Theory for Environmentalists. St. Lucie Press, Florida, ISBN 1-57444-003-9.

Association in the course directory

MES 5; MNB4;

Last modified: Tu 02.04.2024 08:46