Module Aims
This is an introductory module for students who are neither economists nor political scientists. No previous knowledge of either discipline is assumed. Its purpose is to introduce science students to some of the key economic and political issues of environmental change.

Module outline
The course is divided into two concurrent strands.

A) Economics (Garth Hughes)

Topics: The nature and purpose of economics; Economics and Environmental Issues; The tools of economic analysis - supply demand, price, the marginal concept, discounting the future; The market mechanism: resource allocation and the environment; Public policy and the environment.

B) International Politics ( Roland Maddock)

Topics: Limits to Growth; Cornucopia Analysis; Sustainable Development; Explaining Environmental Outcomes; International Environmental Governance; Environmental bearing; The South in international environmental politics; The environment and the global trading system; Non-government actors; Biodiversity; Global climate change; Poverty and desertification.

No previous knowledge of either discipline is assumed.

Learning outcomes
At the conclusion of the module students should be able to:

1) understand the nature and purpose of economics and the perspective that economics can bring to the analysis of environmental problems.

2) identify the weaknesses of the price mechanism as a means of resource allocation, the range of policy options that exist in the event of market failure, and compare the relative advantages and disadvantages of the different policies.

3) understand the three dominant intellectual paradigms and the politics of regime construction in international environmental politics.