In this course students will learn about the integrated assessment of climate change conducted with so-called integrated assessment models (IAMs). IAMs are trans-disciplinary models connecting economics with the natural and engineering sciences. In a nutshell, they are coupling economic growth models with climate, energy, and land use models to investigate economic policy instruments to combat climate change.
After
introducing the concept of IAMs and how they evolved in the context of
international climate policy advice, the course will take an in-depth
look at each of the four core components of IAMs: climate modelling,
climate economics with a focus on economic growth and optimal climate
policy, energy modelling, and land use modelling.
Once students
have gained an understanding of the individual components, we will
explore how they connect to the integrated assessment of climate change,
and how integrated assessment is used to provide information for
climate change policy making. In this context, we will also take a look
at scenario approaches to explore the range of climate change futures
and response strategies.
The course aims to provide students with knowledge on quantitative methods for economic analysis of co-evolving nature-society systems. Key methods explored in this course are related to economic policy analysis in dynamical systems, including elements of dynamical systems, optimal growth, and optimal control theory, with a focus on environmental pollution control. A second goal of the course is to provide students with knowledge on the current state of climate change, international climate policy and long-term global strategies to stop global warming.
- Kursleiter*in: Prof. Dr. Elmar Kriegler