Course: Climate Change and Public Policy

Command and Control is one of the many approaches used in public policy. It comprises of rules and legislation imposed by governments, and is often backed up by the threat …

Since the 1980s, a strengthening body of research has supported the theory of anthropogenic global warming. As a consensus has formed that it is largely caused by human fossil fuel …

Besides carbon taxes, tradable permits is another innovative market-based solution used to reduce carbon emissions. It works by setting a cap on the total level of emissions a year, and …

Wind power describes the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Wind power is becoming increasingly popular around the world. Between 1997 and 2018, …

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), solar energy is the conversion of sunlight into usable energy forms. It is the most abundant and most renewable resource. The Earth intercepts …

China is now the world’s largest refiner of crude oil and a major natural gas user. With fossil fuels at the heart of its economy, it should come as no …

In this course, we will operate on the most mainstream climate science and the most mainstream climate economics available. These tell us that climate change is real and costly.

Two Main Categories There are two main categories of geoengineering. One is shading the earth from solar radiation, of which the shroud of sulphates in the stratosphere is emerging as …

Why Should We Consider Geoengineering? Human intervention and manipulation of the climate system have long been viewed as an ill-advised remedy for climate change. However, with political gridlock and our …

Geoengineering can encompass many things but in the climate arena the most visible geoengineering solutions at present are methods of enhancing carbon sinks and also reducing ever so slightly the …

Four consumer-facing technologies have enormous potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These include smart electricity meters, smart thermostats, heat pumps and better insulating glass.

Economist Simon Kuznets observed that as economies grow from a pre-industrial state into what we know as a developed state, economic inequality initially surges but eventually levels off and finally …

Natural gas refers to a mixture of several hydrocarbons, containing 70-90 percent methane. It is a fossil fuel formed from decayed organic matter deep beneath the earth’s surface. Engineers and …

Let’s explore the advantages of nuclear energy. More environmentally friendly Firstly, nuclear energy is better for the environment. As earlier mentioned, nuclear power does not produce carbon dioxide. A 2017 …

The Neglect of Nuclear Energy Within the world’s energy mix, nuclear power is often overlooked. This has more to do with politics than the lack of technology. Around the world, …