Policymaking for climate action and circular economy

Overview

Discover the foundations of environmental policymaking and learn how policies shape climate action worldwide. This online course equips you with essential knowledge to navigate sustainability challenges and drive meaningful change. Whether you are a professional working in sustainability, a policymaker shaping environmental regulations, or simply someone passionate about climate action, this course provides valuable insights into how policies impact the world around us.

Taught by leading experts. Together with guest contributors from industry, and government, the course explores key policy instruments such as taxes, subsidies, and regulations, examining their effectiveness in addressing environmental challenges. Through real-world case studies, you will gain practical knowledge on how policies are designed, implemented, and assessed in various contexts.

Syllabus

Section 0 introduces the course, allowing learners to assess prior knowledge and directing them to either Section 1 or Extra Materials.
Section 1 explains climate change physics and social dimensions contributing to environmental challenges, including market failures and property rights.
Section 2 introduces various policy categories to address environmental challenges and lower emissions, including command-and-control, price-based, rights-based, and information-based instruments.
Section 3 addresses when to choose what policy instrument, focusing on market mechanism efficiency, policy combinations, economic distribution, fairness, social acceptance, and UN climate negotiations.
Section 4 explores practical policy implications in specific sectors like road transport, air transport, housing, and energy, providing concrete tools and implementation examples.
Section 5 delves into the circular economy concept, its relevance, core concepts, critiques, and its application in the fashion sector, highlighting the importance of price signals.
Section 6 serves as the course wrap-up and offers a final test to assess understanding of the content.
Extra Materials offer complementary content on core economic concepts and in-depth discussions with leading researchers for those seeking additional learning