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2020/2021

Environmental Economics and Natural Resources

Code: 102840 ECTS Credits: 9
Degree Type Year Semester
2501915 Environmental Sciences OB 2 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Josep Lluís Martínez González
Email:
JoseLuis.Martinez@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Teachers

Claudio Cattaneo

External teachers

José Luis Martínez-González

Prerequisites

It is recommended to have studied the subject Human Uses of the Earth System of the 1st year.

 

 

 
 

Objectives and Contextualisation

Contextualization
The subject Environmental and Natural Resources Economy (EARN) belongs to the subject "Economics for the environmental sciences" of the Degree in Environmental Sciences 
taught by the Faculty of Sciences. This subject concentrates all the subjects of economics, that are distributed by professors of the Faculty of Economy and Company.
EARN contributes essentially to the process of learning and learning of the 2nd Course because it introduces concepts and tools of the economy that are shown basic to better 
understand the relationship between human and natural systems. In particular, we explore the biophysical analysis of the economic process, in what use humans use 
the different resources and services that the Earth system offers us.
In addition, it participates in the professional training of the students given that it fosters learning in a series of general competences (among them, the ability to reason 
critically and improve self-employment strategies), transversal (for example, to know how to select and generate the information necessary to understand the economic 
dynamics of the present and its relation with the environment and the use of natural resources) and specific (to distinguish the biophysical aspects of human activity and 
to identify and analyze the impacts environmental aspects of economic activity) that will be very useful for future professionals in the analysis, conservation and 
management of the environment and natural resources.
 
Training objectives
The objective of the subject is double, on the one hand, to understand the basic concepts of the economy that should allow us to understand human systems as systems 
open to the entry of energy and materials, and to the waste exit. That is, we study the biophysical functioning of economies, what is knownas"social metabolism" 
and the role that naturalresources play in maintaining the economic system.
At the end of the course the student will have a clearer idea of:
i) The basic concepts of the economy and its use in environmental sciences;
ii) The basic literature of the methods and concepts presented;
iii) The relationship between the economic process of human systems and the land system, as well as the different approaches used to analyze this interaction.
 

 

Competences

  • Adequately convey information verbally, written and graphic, including the use of new communication and information technologies.
  • Analyze and use information critically.
  • Collect, analyze and represent data and observations, both qualitative and quantitative, using secure adequate classroom, field and laboratory techniques
  • Demonstrate adequate knowledge and use the tools and concepts of the most relevant social science environment.
  • Demonstrate concern for quality and praxis.
  • Demonstrate initiative and adapt to new situations and problems.
  • Teaming developing personal values regarding social skills and teamwork.
  • Work autonomously

Learning Outcomes

  1. Adequately convey information verbally, written and graphic, including the use of new communication and information technologies.
  2. Analyze and use information critically.
  3. Apply the methods of evaluation.
  4. Apply the methods of integrated assessment of alternatives presented in the course.
  5. Critically analyze basic environmental science literature in Catalan, Castilian and English.
  6. Demonstrate concern for quality and praxis.
  7. Demonstrate initiative and adapt to new situations and problems.
  8. Describe and analyze the process of change in the natural environment.
  9. Distinguish the biophysical aspects (resource use and waste generation) related to the process of economic activity.
  10. Identify environmental and social impacts associated with human activity.
  11. Observe, recognize, analyze, measure and adequately represent economic processes applied to environmental sciences.
  12. Properly use the analytical concepts of environmental science.
  13. Recognizing the effects of human activity on the environment.
  14. Teaming developing personal values regarding social skills and teamwork.
  15. Work autonomously

Content

FIRST PART
 1. The economic system and the environment. Economy and ecological economy: conceptual and methodological aspects.

Basic Reading:
  • Common and Stagl - Introduction to the ecological economy. The economy in the environment: A conceptual framework.
  • Krugman, Wells and Olney - What is economics? Habitual actions of daily life. Basic principles.
  • Blanco - The Economy: Concepts and fundamental problems.
  • Samuelson - The fundamentals of the economy.
2. Markets and prices: supply and demand.

Basic Reading:
  • Common and Stagl - Exchange and markets.
  • Krugman, Wells and Olney - Offer and demand. The market strikes back.
  • Samuelson - Basic elements of supply and demand. Applications of supply and demand.
  • White - The Demand, the Offer and the Market. 
3. Production and costs.

Basic Reading:
  • Krugman, Wells and Olney - The producer. What is behind the supply curve: productive factors and costs. Perfect competition and the supply curve.
  • Samuelson - Production and organization of business. Cost analysis. Production, cost theory and business decisions.
4. Market structures: competitive markets and non-competitive markets.

Basic Reading:
  • Krugman, Wells and Olney -Markets and efficiency. Market structure: beyond perfect competition. Monopoly. Oligopoly Monopolistic competition and product differentiation.
  • Samuelson - Analysis of perfectly competitive markets. Imperfect competition and monopoly. The oligopoly and monopolistic competition.
5. Fundamentals of public sector intervention.

Basic Reading:
  • Common and Stagl - Limits to the markets.
  • Samuelson - Protection of the environment. 
6. Macroeconomics: the economic system from an aggregateperspective.

Basic Reading:
  • Common and Stagl - Economic growth and environment.
  • Krugman, Wells and Olney - Introduction to macroeconomics. Macroeconomics: a global vision. Short-term economic fluctuations. The aggregate supply and demand. Fiscal policy The taxes and the multiplier. Money, Central Banks and monetary policy.
  • Samuelson - General overview of macroeconomics. Economic cycles and aggregate demand theory. Guarantee price stability. The central bank and monetary policy. The process of economic growth. The exchange rates and the international financial system. Macroeconomic policies to promote growth and stability. 

7. Macroeconomic accounting and environmental accounts. 

Basic Reading:
  • Common and Stagl - Economic accounting.
  • Krugman, Wells and Olney - Evaluate macroeconomics.

 

SECOND PART
1. Economic characterization of pollution. Externalities Determination of the "optimal" level of contamination. Internalization of externalities.  Pigou - 'green' taxation applications. Coase - trade in pollutant emission rights, trade in rights over environmental assets. Payment for Environmental Services.

  • Basic Reading:Martínez Alier and Roca Pgs. 102-191.
  • Complementary readings: Martínez and Kosoy 2007; Azqueta 29-52; Azqueta 237-268; Jacobs 229-322; Romero 29-50.
2. Valuation of environmental resources.The total economic value of resources. The families of valuation methods. The discussionon economic valuation.

  • Basic Reading: Martínez Alier and Roca Pgs. 192-275.
  • Complementary readings: Azqueta 53-142; Romero 51-76; Jacobs 129-160; Jacobs 337-362.
3. Cost benefit analysis. Case studies: dams, mangroves ... The concept of "discount thefuture". The process for cost-benefit analysis.  Examples of cost-benefit analysis of environmental projects. Arguments in defense of a social discount and criticism rate. The criterion of Krutilla.

  • Basic Reading: Martínez Alier and Roca Pgs. 192-275.
  • Complementary readings: Azqueta 143-196; Jacobs 323-336.
4. The multi-criteria evaluation. Methodological foundations: commensurability, comparability and pluralism of values. Structuring a multi-criteria problem.  Review of the main multi-criteria approaches. Applications of multi-criteria analysis.
  • Basic Reading: Munda 2004.
  • Complementary readings: Falconí and Burbano 2004.
5. Non-renewable resources. Base of resources and reserves. The Hubbert curve. Determination of the optimal extraction and price guidelines: the Hotelling rule.  Backstop technologies? A review of energy policies in Spain and the world. Agro-fuels, EROI (Energy Return on Input). Nuclear energy, cumulative waste and discount rate.
  • Basic Reading: Martínez Alier and Roca Pgs. 297-327, Romero 15-28.
  • Complementary readings: Romero 77-102.
6. Renewable resources. The sustainable yield. Biological models vs. economic Forest economics: the technical forestry turn, the Faustmann rule. Plantations are not forests - environmental services of the forest and forest management. Economy of fishing. The biological model and the economic model. Situation of fisheries resources in the world.
  • Basic Reading: Martínez Alier and Roca Pgs. 328-366.
  • Complementary readings: Romero 103-159.
7. Ownership and access to natural resources. Typology of property rights and relationship with the managementof natural resources. The governance of the commons: theory and examples.  Processes of access and exclusion tonatural resources. Practice - The tragedy of the common
  • Basic reading: Martínez Alier, J. and J. Roca Jusmet. 2008. Ecological Economics and Environmental Policy. UNEP and Economic Culture Fund. Pp. 325-363.

Methodology

1. Master class
The teacher will perform an analytical conceptualization and an updated synthesis of each of the study topics shown in the didactic units. 
The objective of this activity is to facilitate the transmission of knowledge and the motivation for the analysis of the relationship between human activity and the environment, 
which are focused in order to promote active and cooperative learning.

2. Practical sessions 

They are structured into four types of activities: 
1) research, interpretation and analysis of macroeconomic variables, and presentation of a group work. 
2) analysis of the result of a game, and 
3) description and multicriteria analysis of an environmental conflict. 
With these activities the students will not only consolidate the knowledge learned
in the master classes but will learn to do individual and group research, analyze information, synthesize it, defend it, and discuss it.

3. Tutorials
The process of learning and acquisition of competences will be supervised by the teacher through individual and / or group tutorials. 
The teacher of the subject will be available to the students to solve the doubts and follow the evolution of the mentioned process of learning and acquisition of 
competences of the students.

4. Virtual campus of the subject
In face-to-face teaching, the Virtual Campus is a useful tool, so that students have a complementary space where they can access different types of materials 
that the teacher considers essential to advance in the learning process of the subject. To access it you just have to go to the website of the UAB and there you will find the link 
(http://www.uab.es/interactiva/default.htm), or be directly on the campus webpage virtual (https://cv2008.uab.cat/).

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Solving problems classes 1st part. Activities, exercises, data information research, debates 9 0.36 5, 2, 3, 4, 7, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 1, 15, 14, 12
Solving problems classes 2nd part. Work development 9 0.36 5, 2, 4, 7, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 1, 15, 14, 12
Teaching master class 40 1.6 5, 3, 9, 10, 13, 12
Type: Supervised      
Teaching laboratory preparation following the professor guide 30 1.2 5, 2, 10
Tutoring 10 0.4
Type: Autonomous      
Bibliography search information 15 0.6 2, 15, 14
Reading and theory study 58 2.32 2, 15
Teaching laboratory preparation 23 0.92 2, 1, 15, 14

Assessment

The evaluation of the course will be based only on the continuous evaluation of the process of acquisition of knowledge and competences by the students.

The evaluation of the first part is the following:

  • 10% participation in the classroom. At the end of each class, each student will take home message or final message of summary or opinion, with a voice recording or in writing.
  • 50% in continuous assessment tests. At the end of each topic a test will be posted with questions that students must submit with a deadline. If the average of the tests submitted does not exceed 5 or if all the tests are not submitted, a partial examination of all the topics must be done.
  • 40% in the practical part. This part will consist of practical exercises and/or individual or group work.

The evaluation of the second part is as follows:

  • 25% in summarizing in one sentence (take home message) each class of the course.
  • 25% individual essay of between 500/1000 words.
  • 50% group essay of 5/7 students between 2000 and 3000 words.

To average the different continuous assessment tests, a minimum of 3 out of 10 is required for each test.

Students who have failed the continuous assessment will be entitled to a final theoretical examination. In order to be able to take the make-up exam, the student must have been evaluated in a set of activities whose weight is at least 2/3 of the total grade of the subject

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Continuous evaluation tests (part 1) 25% 10 0.4 5, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 1, 15, 12
Group practice 25% 5 0.2 5, 2, 3, 4, 7, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 1, 15, 14, 12
Individual essay (part 2) 12.5% 5 0.2 5, 2, 3, 4, 7, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 1, 15, 14, 12
Practical Task (part 1) 20% 5 0.2 5, 2, 7, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 1, 15, 14, 12
Take home message (part 1) 5% 1 0.04 5, 2, 7, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 1, 15, 14, 12
Take home message (part 2) 12.5% 5 0.2 5, 2, 7, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 1, 12

Bibliography

Blanco, J.M. (2008) Economía. Teoría y práctica. 5ª ed. MC Graw Hill.

Common, M., Stagl, S. (2008) Introducción a la Economía Ecológica, Ed. Reverté.

Krugman, P., Wells R., Olney, M.L. (2012) Fundamentos de economía, 2º ed. Ed. Reverté.

Martínez Alier, J., Roca, J. (2002, reimpresión de 2006). Economía ecológica y política ambiental, Fondo de Cultura Económica, México, 493 p. Biblioteca CC.SS.  E17.80 Mar, Biblioteca Ciencias 504.03 Mar 

Samuelson, P., Nordhaus, W. (2005) Economía 18a. Edició, Mc. Graw Hill.

Aguilera, F. (2008). La nueva economía del agua. Los libros de la Catarata, Madrid, 160 p. Biblioteca CC.SS.  E17.60 Agu

Azqueta, D. (2002). Introducción a la Economía Ambiental, McGraw Hill Profesional, Madrid, 420 p. Biblioteca CC.SS. E17.80 Azq. Biblioteca Ciencias 504.03 Azq

Carpintero, O. (2005). El metabolismo de la economía española. Recursos naturales y huella ecológica (1955 – 2000). Fundación César Manrique, Lanzarote, 636 p. Libro completo disponible en:http://www.fcmanrique.org/recursos/publicacion/elmetabolismo.pdf

Falconí, F., Burbano, R. (2004). Instrumentos económicos para la gestión ambiental: decisiones monocriteriales versus decisiones multicriteriales. Revista Iberoamericana de Economía Ecológica, Vol. 1: 11-20. Versión electrónica disponible en http://www.redibec.org/ccount/click.php?id=2

Jacobs, M. (1997). La economía verde. Icaria Editorial, Barcelona, 431 p. Biblioteca CC.SS E17.80 Jac

Madrid, C., Velázquez, E. (2008). El metabolismo hídrico y los flujos de agua virtual. Una aplicación al sector hortofrutícola de Andalucía (España).Revista Iberoamericana de Economía Ecológica, Vol. 8: 29-47. Versión electrónica disponible en http://www.redibec.org/ccount/click.php?id=46

Martinez Alier, J., (2005). El ecologismo de los pobres. Un estudio de conflictos ecológicos y lenguajes de valoración, Icaria, Barcelona. Biblioteca CC.SS.  E17.01 Mar, Biblioteca Ciencias 504.03 Mar

Martínez Tuna, M., Kosoy daroqui, N. (2007). Compensaciones monetarias y conservación de bosques. Pagos por servicios ambientales y pobreza en una comunidad rural en Honduras. Revista Iberoamericana de Economía Ecológica, Vol. 6: 40-51. Versión electrónica disponible en http://www.redibec.org/ccount/click.php?id=33 

Munda, G. (2004). Métodos y procesos multicriterio para la evaluación social de las políticas públicas. Revista Iberoamericana de Economía Ecológica, Vol. 1: 31-45. Versión electrónica disponible en http://www.redibec.org/ccount/click.php?id=46

Pearce, D., Turner, K. (1995). Economía de los recursos naturales y del medio ambiente. Colegio de Economistas de Madrid Celeste, 448 p. Biblioteca CC.SS.  E17.80 Pea, Biblioteca Ciencias 504.03 Pea

Ramos-Martin, J. (2001): “De Kyoto a Marrakech: historia de una flexibilización anunciada”, Ecología Política 22: 45-56. Versión electrónica disponible en http://www.ecologiapolitica.info/ep/22.pdf

Ramos-Martin, J. (2004). La perspectiva biofísica de la relació home-natura: Economia Ecològica, en J. Valdivielso (Ed.), Les dimensions socials de la crisi ecològica, Edicions UIB, Palma de Mallorca, 316 p. Biblioteca CC.SS  E17.01 Dim

Romero, C. (1997). Economía de los recursos ambientales y naturales, Alianza , Madrid, 214 p. Biblioteca CC.SS. E17.80 Rom, Biblioteca Ciencias  http://cataleg.uab.cat/search~S1*cat?/tEconom%C3%ADa%20de%20los%20recursos%20ambientales%20y%20naturales

Recursos electrònics

Llibres

Costanza, R., Cumberland, J.H., Daly, H., Goodland, R., Norgaard, R.B. (1997). An Introduction to Ecological Economics. St. Lucie Press and International Society for Ecological Economics. Llibre complet disponible a: http://www.eoearth.org/article/An_Introduction_to_Ecological_Economics_(e-book)

Naredo, J.M., Parra, F. (Eds)(2002). Situación diferencial de los recursos naturales españoles. Fundación César Manrique, Lanzarote, 337 p. Llibre complet disponible a: http://www.fcmanrique.org/recursos/publicacion/situaciondiferencial.pdf

Jevons, W.S. (1865, 1866 2nd edition revised). The Coal Question. London: Macmillan and Co.  Llibre complet disponible a: http://www.eoearth.org/article/The_Coal_Question_(e-book)

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Synthesis Reports - http://www.eoearth.org/article/Millennium_Ecosystem_Assessment_Synthesis_Reports

Ecological Economics Enciclopedia - http://www.ecoeco.org/education_encyclopedia.php

Revistes

Revista Sostenible? De la Cátedra UNESCO deSostenibilitat dela UPC – https://e-revistes.upc.edu/handle/2099/1208

Revista Iberoamericana de Economía Ecológica – http://www.redibec.org/revibec.html

Revista Medi Ambient, Tecnologia i Cultura (Generalitat de Catalunya) – http://mediambient.gencat.net/cat/el_departament/revista/

Cursos on-line i material addicional

http://introduccioeconomia-dea.uab.cat/

Introduction to Ecological Economics. The University of Vermont. On-line course: http://metacourses.org/ecologicaleconomics/

Ecological Economics. Nebraska University. On-line course: http://agecon.unl.edu/lynne/ecolecon/ecoleconsyllabus.htm

EMergy http://www.emergysystems.org/

Material Flow Accounting – MFA http://www.materialflows.net/index.php

Programes de televisió

Notícias de Medio Ambiente (TVE) – http://www.rtve.es/noticias/medio-ambiente/

El Medi Ambient (TV3) – http://www.tv3.cat/elmediambient

Espai Terra (TV3) – http://www.tv3.cat/espaiterra

El Escarabajo Verde (TVE) – http://www.rtve.es/television/escarabajo/

Terra Verda (TVE) – http://www.rtve.es/television/terraverda/

Racons de Verd(TVE) – http://www.rtve.es/television/racons-de-verd/

Webs institucionals

OECD Environment – http://www.oecd.org/env/ 

World Bank – Environment http://www.worldbank.org/environment

European Environment Agency - http://www.eea.europa.eu/

Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino - http://www.marm.es/

Departament de Medi Ambient - http://mediambient.gencat.cat/

Observatorio de la Sostenibilidad en España - http://www.sostenibilidad-es.org/

Consell Assessor per al Desenvolupament Sostenible - http://www.gencat.cat/cads

Associacions científiques

Societat Internacional d’Economia Ecològica (ISEE): http://www.ecoeco.org

Societat Europea d’Economia Ecològica (ESEE): http://www.euroecolecon.org

Xarxa Iberoamericana d’Economia Ecològica (REDIBEC): http://www.redibec.org

Xarxa d’Economia Ecològica a Espanya (REEE): http://www.ecoecoes.es/

Associació Hispano-Portuguesa d’Economia dels Recursos Naturals (AERNA): http://www.aerna.org