ECON 150 - Environmental and Natural Resources Economics

Upper Division

All economic activity involves an exchange with the natural environment. Natural resources are used in production and consumption and then returned to the environment in some form of waste. The class focuses on how a market economy actually handles these exchanges and develops criteria for judging the economy’s performance in this regard. Important questions include the following: Are we exhausting our natural resources? Will we run out of cheap energy? What is the appropriate balance between economic standard of living and environmental quality? Can we rely on market forces to achieve the appropriate balance or do we need government intervention?

Core Curriculum Designation(s)
TCG - The Common Good

Course credits: 1