Instructional goals
a) introduce the concept of Sustainable Development; b) highlight aspects related to energy and climate policy in relation to Sustainable Development; c) help the Student to integrate back environmental and social elements into economic reasoning and decision-making; d) provide advanced knowledge on the different dimensions of sustainable development and on the policies needed to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the UN in September 2015, with particular attention to climate and energy policies.
Prerequisites
One of the following courses is indispensable: macroeconomics; political economics; economic policy; public finance. The following constitute an advantage: business administration; finance (private); statistics; environmental economics.
Intended learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: the Student - through participation in lectures and reading the bibliography - will have developed the capacity to understand the characteristics of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and its implications for Italy and the European Union.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: the Student - acquiring the correct tools and method - will interpret the condition and the evolution over time of the positioning of Italy and its territories in relation to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
Autonomy of judgment: the Student, through the use of the methodologies acquired during the course, will have acquired the ability to analyze the different public policies and strategies of companies with respect to sustainable development.
Communication skills: at the end of the course the Student will be able to master, with adequate terminological precision, the technical-economic vocabulary of the subject. By participating in the classroom discussions the Student will learn to share with others the knowledge acquired, adapting the vocabulary used.
Learning skills: the knowledge acquired during the course will allow the Student to understand and interpret independently the various issues of sustainable development, skills that will allow him/her to continue to deepen the topics addressed and to undertake the various paths of professional development after graduation.
Course Contents
Analyses and policies for Sustainable Development (in relation to Green Economy, Green Growth, Resource Efficiency, Circular Economy, Bio-Economy, Sustainable Finance), with particular attention to Climate Policy, Energy Transition, Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and Natural Capital, in the frame of Global, European and Italian economies.
Reference Books
A) Reference books:
A1 + 1 to be chosen among A2-A3-A4:
A1. Anders Wijkman e Johan Rockström (2012), “Bankrupting Nature: Denying Our Planetary Boundaries - A Report to the Club of Rome”, Earthscan-Routledge; available also in Italian: A.Wijkman e J.Rockström (2014), “Natura in bancarotta: Perché rispettare i limiti del pianeta - Rapporto al Club di Roma”, Edizioni Ambiente.
A2. Richard Tol (2023). Climate Economics – Economic Analysis of Climate, Climate Change and Climate Policy. 3rd edition. Edward Elgar (for students with more interest in climate economic analysis).
A3. Jos Delbeke (ed.) (2024). “Delivering a Climate Neutral Europe”. Earthscan Routledge. (for students with more interest in climate’s institutional and European issues).
A4. Paul Ekins (2024). “Stopping Climate Change: Policies for Real Zero”. Earthscan Routledge. (for students with more interest in climate’s economic and global issues).
B) Recommended readings:
B1. Enrico Giovannini (2018). "L'utopia sostenibile" (Laterza editore).
B2. ASviS - Alleanza italiana sviluppo sostenibile "L'Italia e gli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile" (2023) and "Coltivare il nostro futuro" (2024) https://asvis.it/rapporto-asvis/.
B.3. Gianfranco Bologna (2024). Noi siamo natura. Milano: Edizioni Ambiente.
B4. United Nations (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. New York.
B5. Sandrine Dixson-Decleve et al. (2022). Earth for all. A report to the Club of Rome 50 years after The Limits to Growth (1972). New Society
Publishers.
B6. T. Tietenberg e L. Lewis (2018). Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. Taylor & Francis.
B7. Partha Dasgupta (2021). “The economics of biodiversity - The Dasgupta Review”. London: HM Treasury.
B8. William Nordhaus (2021). "The spirit of green - The Economics of Collisions and Contagions in a Crowded World". Princeton University Press.
Morereadings will be suggested during lessons.
Teaching Methods
Class lectures; individual insights, with preparation of contributions to the discussion and exposure in the classroom. Possible short weekly self-assessment in the classroom. Several "Friday Debates" on selected hhot political economy issues (e.e. last year: tractors' rebellion; cultivated meat; water tariffs/charges).
Assessment Method
Final written exam with multiple choice questions and open questions. Other options (mid-term anticipated test, continuous assessment, preparation of a short paper, ...) under consideration (to be discussed at the beginning of the course).
Thesis assignment criteria
On request on one of the topics of the course to be agreed with the Professor. Integration of economics and environmental policies will be privileged. Integration of Global, European and National aspects will be considered a plus.
Week 1
Going Beyond GDP, the Club of Rome’s Limits to Growth and the Rockstroem’s Planetary Boundaries: nature, limits and strengths of GDP.
attempts to replace and integrate GDP with other indicators; the Stiglitz-
Sen-Fitoussi Commission on the measurement of Welfare and Progress;
making convergence in Italy between indicators for SDGs, BES, BES in
DEF
Week 2
The UN Agenda 2030 and its 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals):
from growth and development to sustainable development; the 1992 Rio
Summit and the 2012 Rio+20 Summit; integrating environment in the
global and national agendas; the Italian Strategy for Sustainable.
Week 3
Sustainability science: historical evolution and state of the art; the proposal of an Anthropocene geological era; the link between scientific research and economic research.
Week 4
The UN-FCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the Paris Agreement: origins and evolution of the global convention on climate change; the COPs and SBSTTAs; major features and differences between the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement (COP21); the conclusions of recent COP26-30 (Glasgow-Milan, Sharm-el-Sheikh, Dubai, Bacu); major policy issues at stake; Italian policies for Energy and Climate; SDGs 7 and 13 (Energy and Climate Action).
Week 5
The economics of climate change: Economic Analysis of Climate, Climate Change and Climate Policy; from Nicholas Stern to Thomas Sterner to Richard Tol; Carbon tax vs ETS (Emissions Trading Systems) vs Excise taxes (Pareto vs. Coase vs. Laviathan); EU CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism).
Week 6
The UN-CBD (UN Convention on Biological Diversity): origins and evolution of the CBD; the old Aichi Targets and the new Global Biodiversity Framework; COPs and SBSTTAs; results of the 2022 COP15-16 (Kunming-Montreal and Turkey); how to measure biodiversity, how to define targets and indicators; what to do when targets are not achieved: abandoning, postponing, adapting or strengthening; OECD scaling-up finance for biodiversity; major policy issues at stake.
Week 7
The concept and the attempts to measure Natural Capital and Ecosystems Services: the 4th Capital (the forgotten Capital); the Natural Capital Coalition; the World Bank Waves project (measuring Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services); the UK and Italy Natural Capital Committees and Reports; attempts to integrate Natural Capital and Ecosystems Services into public and private accounts and decision-making;
Week 8
The economics of biodiversity: from Pavan Sukhdev TEEB to the Dasgupta Review for the G7.
Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in the economy and in urban areas.
IPBES (the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) activities and reports.
BIOFIN (the UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative).
Week 9
Green Economy and Circular Economy: from Resource Efficiency (Von Weizsaecker and Lovins) to Circular Economy; from waste policy to the G7 Japanese 3Rs (reducing waste at source, reusing and recycling) from linear economy to circular economy; bio-economy; what is green, what is sustainable;
Week 10
Sustainable Development, Energy and Climate, and Firms: the EU 2014 Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) and the EU 2023 Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD); links to ESG and CSR; the sustainability reporting global initiatives: UN Global Compact, GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), WBCSD (World Business Council on Sustainable Development), OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises;
Week 11
Sustainable Finance: the EU Strategy, the EC Action Plan; the EU Taxonomy of sustainable investments and activities; the G20 Green Finance Study Group; the point of view of a Central Bank and G7-G20; MDBs and sustainable finance.
Week 12
Sustainable Development, Energy and Climate and Sector Policies: transport, mobility and infrastructures (SDGs 9 and 11); gender parity (SDG5); education and research policy (SDG4); Sustainable Development and the three crises (Covid-19, Russian aggression to Ukraine, energy price increase).
Co-benefits of Climate Policies and Health Policies (Covid-19).