Climate change is happening at a very fast rate. Melting of ice sheets and retreat of glaciers suggests that irreversible thresholds are being rapidly approached. The problem must be addressed quickly and deeply. This can only happen if governments around the world show strong leadership, avoid capture by vested interests, and address the major equity issues that will arise. Economics like other disciplines can offer much in terms of understanding how the climate change problem arose, how it will affect future growth and development, how it can be stabilised, how to choose between technical options for mitigation and adaptation, and how international collective action can be achieved. Controversy rages among economists on these issues, not least because mainstream neo-classical economics has a different world view to other economic schools such as ecological economics and political economy, as well as different theories and methods.

Global Warming: An Economic Perspective is a course that aims to be accessible to all who accept the proposition that there is no economy without a living environment, but who nonetheless feel disoriented by the
welter of political proposals on offer within mainstream and
non-mainstream debate. Its aim will be to (a) make students familiar with the economics discussed in major reports on climate change; (b) help students understand the way in which different schools within economics
deal with climate change and analyse reports that deal with the economics of climate change and (c) further informed debate about economic aspects of mitigation and adaptation proposals.

Every Tuesday evening Until November 18.