Waterloo Winter 2014
Econ238B Environmental Economics
Instructor: Kathleen Rodenburg, P2045, email: krodenburg@wlu.ca
Office hours: Mondays, 6  7 pm.
Classes: Mondays, 7 – 10 pm in SBE1220
Course description:
We are living in an era of rapid economic growth. Countries around the world are enjoying or
actively working to increase their total and per-capita production, income and consumption. With
the emergence of several economies worldwide, the next 100 years will no doubt see an
unprecedented expansion of industrial activity and trade. Although economic growth has many
key benefits (increasing the quality of life), it is causing a great deal of anxiety about how this
growth affects the environment and thus the ability of the environment to sustain future economic
growth. The earth is finite and, according to some experts, already showing signs of critical
ecological stress. This course is designed to help you think through how these two observations
might be reconciled.
The course is organized around five key questions.
1. What is the relationship between economic growth and environment
quality?
2. How much pollution is acceptable?
3. How do we create policies that can best protect the environment?
4. Are we running out of resources (including food and water)?
5. What does sustainable development mean?
Pre-requisites: EC120 and EC140
Textbook:
Barry Field and Nancy Olewiler, Environmental Economics (3rd Edition) Toronto: McGrawHill Ryerson (FOE).
Assessment: Your mark will be determined as follows:
a. Assignments (50%)
b. Mid-term exam (20%) on Monday, February 24
c. Final exam (30%) TBA
EC 238
Course outline
Page 1 of 4
Waterloo Winter 2014
Plagiarism: Wilfrid Laurier University uses software that can check for plagiarism. Students
may be required to submit their written work in electronic form and have it checked for
plagiarism. You are reminded that the University will levy sanctions on students who are
found to have committed, or attempted to commit, acts of academic or research misconduct.
You are expected to know what constitutes an academic offense, to avoid committing such
offenses and to take responsibility for your academic actions. Please consult the
Undergraduate Calendar for more information regarding the Universities policy on
Academic and Research Misconduct.
Accessible Learning: Students with disabilities or special needs are advised to contact
Laurier’s Accessible Learning Centre for information regarding its services and resources.
Students are encouraged to review the Calendar for information regarding all services
available on campus.
Laptops, Ipads, Smartphones, Blackberries, etc.:
You MAY NOT use these items during class (airplane rules). I request that your electronic
devises be powered down during class. I know that some of you may use these devises to take
notes during class, however, the temptation to maintain outside classroom conversations and other
distractions is great and impedes learning for both yourself and those seated around you. I will
ensure that we have technology breaks during the class, so your withdrawal symptoms are
minimized. I will post lecture notes, so the amount of note taking required by hand during class is
also minimized.
Course website:
1. Go to https://mylearningspace.wlu.ca/ and login using your Novell login information. Your
MyLearningSpace (hereafter MyLS) home page should appear, along with a list of courses
you are registered in. Click on Econ 238B. Make sure you log out after using the MyLS site.
2. If you forget your password, and you have not set up a security question to allow you to reset
it yourself, you may visit the ITS Helpdesk in person to have it reset (Please provide photo ID
upon your request), or email myls@wlu.ca.
3. If you login and Econ 238B is not listed, check LORIS to confirm the registration status
of the course. It will not appear until it is listed in LORIS.
EC 238
Course outline
Page 2 of 4
Waterloo Winter 2014
Course Schedule
FOE-Barry Field and Nancy Olewiler, Environmental Economics (3rd Edition)
Week
1.
2.
January 6
January 13
Topic





3.
January 20



4.
January 27


5.
February 3
6.
7.
8.
February 10
February 17
February 24
9.
March 3
10. March 10
11. March 17
12. March 24
13. March 31
EC 238
Introduction
Concepts and Overview
Economic Growth and the
Environment: what the data
show
Explaining the Data: The PPF
Model
“The Great Global Warming
Swindle”
Optimal Pollution: analytical
tools; market interpretation;
applications
Basic Policy Analysis
Benefit Cost analysis
Legal and Regulatory
Instruments
“Cool It”


Economic Instruments
Trends in resources stocks and
Food Production
 Review for Mid-term
In-class Mid-term Exam
No Lecture
 The Economics of Sustainable
Development
 A test Case for Biodiversity
 Debate teams Complete Panel
Terms of Reference
 ‘Mine’ your own Business
 Rules of engagement for Debate
teams. Dates chosen for debate
teams
 Debates/ Panel decisions
 8 Teams presenting/judging
 Canadian Environmental
Problems
 Debates/Panel decisions
 Environmental Policy in Canada
 Debates/Panel decisions
 Global Environmental Problems
 Recap of debate outcomes
(awards presented)
 Course Summary/ Overview
 Review for final exam
Course outline
Requirements/Reading/Assignments
Read Chapter 1 & 2 FOE
Assignment 1 Due January 13
Re-read Chapters 1 page 15-18 FOE
Assignment 2a. Due January 20
Read Chapters 3,4 & 5 FOE
Do Practice Problems posted under
content tab on the course home page.
Debate Teams and topics announced
Read Chapters 6-8FOE
Do Practice Problems posted under the
content tab on the course home page
Assignment 2b. Due February 3
Read Chapters 9-11 FOE
Do Practice Problems posted under the
content tab on the course homepage
2 Hour duration
Reading Week
Read Chapters 12-14 FOE
Panel Terms of reference due March 8
Assignment 3c. due March 10
Audience selects most convincing
argument.
Read Chapters 15-17 FOE
Read Chapters 19-20 FOE
Read Chapter 20
Page 3 of 4
Assignments (50%):
Winter 2014 Econ 238
1. Environmental Quality and Economic Growth (10%). This assignment will require that you
collect historical information regarding environmental quality and the economy with the intention of
examining how the quality of the environment changes (or doesn’t change) as the economy grows
and contracts. If you do not know how to use a spreadsheet program you probably want to learn. It
will make it much easier for you to do the calculations and graphs. It is possible to do them all by
hand, but it will take a much longer time than learning a spreadsheet and doing the exercise on a
computer. See Assignment 1, under the course content heading on the Econ238 home page 1. Due
January 13, 2014.
2. Documentary Critiques (15%). This assignment is comprised of three separate one page critiques
on three documentaries covering different topics on environmental issues faced by our society. The
one page critique is due the class immediately following the class in which the documentary was
viewed. The critique will be centered on exploring a set of key questions provided to you in class the
day of the documentary.
a. ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’ –Due January 20, 2014
b. ‘Cool It’-Due February 3, 2014
c. ‘Mine Your Own Business’-Due March 10, 2014
3. Environmental Issues and Policy Great Debates (25%). Each of you will be assigned to a debate
team consisting of 5 members. The in-class debates will examine topics from the following three
areas:
i. Local Environmental Issues
ii. Canadian Policy Concerns
iii. Global Environmental issues
Under-each topic there will be a subset of key questions and issues up for debate. These key
questions will be assigned in class. Teams will be asked to take one or the other side of the debate on
the key issue (topic) and do research, provide important evidence for their augments in a debate
forum. Teams will also be asked to take on the role of panel (or judge) for one session and will be
required to make a ruling based on the evidence presented. The audience will also be asked key
questions and to submit a ballot. Debates will take place in class, March 10, 17 and 24, 2014.
Late Submission Policy: The penalty scheme for late assignments is as follows. The day following is the
first day after the due date, the day after that is the second day, etc. The penalty is consists of a factor by
which your score on the assignment is multiplied. So if you get 30/40 on the assignment and it is 2 days late,
your actual mark is 0.7x30 = 21/40
Days After Due Date
Penalty Factor
1st
0.9
2nd
0.7
3rd
0.5
4th and up
0
Due dates are indicated both on-line on the course home page as well as on the course outline. Please be sure
that you know when each assignment is due.
1
Assignment created by Dr. Ross Mckitrick, Professor Economics, University of Guelph, Ontario.
Winter 2014 Econ 238