smoke and air pollution from smokestack

Economic Thinking for Planners: Economics of the Environment

This course provides an introduction to environmental economics by exploring the economic effects of national and local environmental policies. By the end of the course, you'll understand market failure, externalities, and private and social costs, applying these concepts to issues like recycling, species preservation, and climate change.

Peter Gordon
Taught By Peter Gordon
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Course Info

  • Duration 11 video lessons (56 Mins)
  • Published Published
    2015
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Browse Course Chapters

  • Chapter Locked
    1.
    Introduction
    Chapter Duration 2 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    2.
    Divergence, Private vs. Social Costs
    Chapter Duration 2 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    3.
    Conflicting Rights
    Chapter Duration 6 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    4.
    Getting Prices Right
    Chapter Duration 10 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    5.
    Recycling
    Chapter Duration 2 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    6.
    Species Preservation
    Chapter Duration 3 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    7.
    Negotiation and Adjudication
    Chapter Duration 2 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    8.
    Cap-and-Trade
    Chapter Duration 5 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    9.
    Climate Change
    Chapter Duration 7 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    10.
    Economic Thinking vs. Environmentalism
    Chapter Duration 6 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    11.
    Environmental Kuznets Curve
    Chapter Duration 4 mins

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to environmental economics by exploring the economic effects of national or local environmental policies, answering questions such as: What are market compatible environmental policies? Why are such policies attractive? What happens when markets fail to allocate resources effectively? By the end of this course, you'll understand market failure, externalities, and private and social costs, applying these concepts to issues like recycling, species preservation, and climate change.

Learn these skills

  • Development
  • Economics
  • Environmental Planning
  • Land Use
  • Resilience Planning
  • Sustainability

AICP CM

This course is approved for 1 AICP CM credit.

SACPLAN CPD

This course is approved for 1 SACPLAN CPD point. 

Meet Your Instructor

Peter Gordon

Peter Gordon

Peter Gordon is Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California Price School of Public Policy. His research interests are in applied urban economics.

Meet Instructor

Course Reviews

4.17
Jacob Collins

Jacob Collins

Normal
Daniel Catron

Daniel Catron

Normal
Grant Ruroede

Grant Ruroede

Dissatisfied
I wasn't a fan of this lesson, because I think it was extremely biased in favor of neo-classical economics (which is just one school of economics), and neo-classical economics is horribly flawed, relies on absurd assumptions in its models. We have externalities because markets cannot realistically monetize most environmental impacts. They treat things as perfect substitutes that aren't, they claim that technology can save the day despite the evidence showing this simply isn't so (and ignoring things like Jevons Paradox). The law of demand and the law of supply only actually apply with absurd assumptions. And I thought that quoting Bjorn Lomborg, an infamous global warming "skeptic" was telling. I expect more from Planetizen when it comes to courses like this. I would suggest reading ecological economists like Herman Daly, Joan Martinez Alier, and economists like Frank Ackerman over stuff like this.
sebastianugas

sebastianugas

Extremely Satisfied

Course Reviews

38%
45%
13%
3%
1%
Jacob Collins

Jacob Collins

Normal
Daniel Catron

Daniel Catron

Normal
Grant Ruroede

Grant Ruroede

Dissatisfied
I wasn't a fan of this lesson, because I think it was extremely biased in favor of neo-classical economics (which is just one school of economics), and neo-classical economics is horribly flawed, relies on absurd assumptions in its models. We have externalities because markets cannot realistically monetize most environmental impacts. They treat things as perfect substitutes that aren't, they claim that technology can save the day despite the evidence showing this simply isn't so (and ignoring things like Jevons Paradox). The law of demand and the law of supply only actually apply with absurd assumptions. And I thought that quoting Bjorn Lomborg, an infamous global warming "skeptic" was telling. I expect more from Planetizen when it comes to courses like this. I would suggest reading ecological economists like Herman Daly, Joan Martinez Alier, and economists like Frank Ackerman over stuff like this.
sebastianugas

sebastianugas

Extremely Satisfied
Matt Diaz

Matt Diaz

Satisfied
Douglas McDowell

Douglas McDowell

Satisfied
Marc Kurbansade

Marc Kurbansade

Extremely Satisfied
Stepan Glushkov

Stepan Glushkov

Dissatisfied

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