Global warming and pollution of water and air are among of the most important challenges of our time, both globally and locally. Firms and governments allocate large amounts of resources to environmental protection: the total amount of environmental taxes in Norway is currently above two percent of national income. But, do these policies work, or is a massive amount of resources wasted? And, how can the policies be improved?

Importantly, environmental problems are linked to issues in sustainable development. For example, carbon emissions from agricultural and industrial production causes climate change, but at the same time climate change may harm production and cause poverty. This course seeks to equip students – business consultants and political advisors of the future – with state-of-the-art techniques that can be used two evaluate the causal impact of environmental policies. The acquired techniques can be used to answer questions such as: How should firms and industries act to avoid causing significant harm to the environment? What can firms do to promote sustainable development?  Students will learn through lectures, student presentations, and readings of book chapters and scientific articles.