LO1 Discuss the role of energy prices in mitigating the effects of climate change

MS50064W-Urban Economics and Climate Change

20 Credit

Academic Year 2024-25

 Table of contents

1 Key team contact details 2

2 Module content 2

3 Learning materials 4

4 Maintaining Academic Honesty and Integrity 5

5 Meeting Deadlines 5

6 Getting Support 5

7 Preparing for your Assessment 5

8 Summative Assessments 6

Summative Assessment 1 6

9 Glossary and Acronyms 12

10 Appendix – Research ethics and integrity Error! Bookmark not defined.

Module content

This module evaluates urban economics concept and the interlinked fields of energy and environmental changes.The course content will provide an overview of the economics and politics of the environment.We will discuss the geopolitical consequences of oil use, especially in emerging countries from different such as China and Brazil;the economic costs of the volatility in energy prices and the environmental implications of growing energy consumption, especially on the global climate change. In this course you will also analyse why some countries, especially those which depend on oil as their primary income source, are reluctant to change. You will learn what is known about the economic damages of climate change and discuss ways how policy makers could encourage a more environmentally sustainable economic growth.

The population growth rate in cities has been exponential and predicted to be around 7 billion people by the end of the century. Urban sprawl and other development undertakings have attracted both political and socio-economic policy attention. In this course, we will aim at breaking down the many challenges of rapidly increasing urban population and study what economics research has done to address them. Intuitively, the relationship between urbanization and climate change will be discussed.

The following topics will be covered:

Relevant Topics

Urban Economics and climate change Cities: Housing, Transport and Crime

Economics of Depletable Resources and Energy Security The Oil Markets

Externalities and public goods

Climate Change Policies, reviews and case studies Protecting our environment

Expectations

Specific expectations students can have of tutors:

1. Effective communication on relevant information on the module
2. Online pre-recorded videos prior to the face-to-face seminar
   1. Lecture materials and seminar activities will be available on UWLFlex, before a schedule seminar time.
   2. Provision of assessment marks and relevant feedback on submitted work., within 15 working days after submission.
3. Watch the pre-recorded lecture videos before the follow up seminar
4. Attend all seminar sessions and login their attendance
5. Participate and prepare any activities as per instruction.
6. Ready and willing to engage in group presentations and other collaborative activities
7. Communicate any absence via email before a schedule seminar time.
   1. All assessments should be attempted and submitted within the deadline, accounting for any exceptional circumstance(s).

Specific expectations tutors will have of students:

Learning materials

The reading list for this module is available on Blackboard in the module area and online by searching readinglists. This shows real-time availability of books in the library and provides direct links to digital items, recommended by your lecturer.

Remember to log into Blackboard daily to receive all the latest news and support available at your module sites!

Subject guides (libraryguides) are also available to help you find relevant information for assignments, with contact details of the Subject Librarian for your School.

Essential Readings

Balchin, P., Isaac, D., Chen, J. (2019). Urban Economics: A Global Perspective (1st ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.perlego.com/book/2995927/urban-economics- a-global-perspective-pdf

O`Sullivan, A. (2012) Urban Economics. London: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 8th edition.

Further Readings

Obeng-Odoom, F. (2023). Urban economics in the Global South: A study of The Economist. Urbani Izziv, 34(1), 107–118. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27226742

Maintaining Academic Honesty and Integrity

Academic Integrity means avoiding plagiarism and cheating and owning your own work, the use of essay mills and AI content is also considered academic misconduct. This is when you submit a piece of work which is not completely your own, but which you are presenting as your own without acknowledging the author or properly referencing the original source. All your work must demonstrate Academic Integrity; it must be an honest and fair submission, complying with all the requirements of the assessment. Failure to meet these standards of behaviour and practice is academic misconduct, which can result in penalties being applied under the Academic Offences Regulations. You can get support with your academic writing by speaking to our Study support team.

Meeting Deadlines

You should always try your best to submit your work on time. You can submit coursework up to 10 calendar days late without penalty if you request an extension before the submission deadline.

Without an extension, the maximum mark you will be able to get for that work will be the pass mark.

Getting Support

There may be times when you experience circumstances outside of your control and talking to your Module Leader and other support services available to you in the university will help keep you on track with your studies. You can access information on support services and further guidance at our Support for current students page.

If your circumstances mean that you are not able to submit at all or are unable to attend an in- person assessment like an exam or in-class test, then you can request mitigation for the assessment. Approved mitigation means that you can have another attempt without penalty if you fail an assessment or do not submit.

If you request an extension or mitigation before the deadline you can choose to self-certify, without providing evidence, so long as you have a valid reason. You can only self-certify three assessments per academic year. If you have used all your self-certification opportunities, or requested mitigation after the deadline, you will need to provide evidence of your exceptional circumstances for your request to be granted.

Your Students’ Union Advice Team will be able to support you through the process.

Preparing for your Assessment

A key part of your learning will be preparation for your summative assessment. You will be provided feedback on your formative assessments, and this will help you to better understand what is required of you when you submit your summative assessment. Please see below guidance on your formative assessment and how to access your feedback.

Assessment Support

Summative Assessments

Summative Assessment 1

Submitting, feedback & grades online using Blackboard

Main objectives of the Assessment

Assessment 1: CLBS-COP29 Poster Exhibition

The issues of climate change and the green energy markets have attracted relevant research attention in the past decades.In addition, issues around urbanisation cost-benefit analysis, pollution and other environmental concerns have been popular in mainstream news.This has warranted the formulation of policies with different outcomes and implementations. Globally, there have been various developments in providing a ‘greener’ medium of energy. For example, the Paris agreement from the 2015 COP summit has provided growing support for new efficient energy generation. In addition, the COP26, hosted in Glasgow provides indications towards halving emissions by 2030.The COP27 in Egypt validate the need to invest in green energy. As a result,governments and businesses has been forced to incorporate policies that can cut greenhouse gas emissions.However, this approach has political and economic costs.After the COP28 and we approach the COP29 in Azerbaijan, this assessment aim to present innovative ideas on building a sustainable policies that integrates the dimensions from governments, businesses and individuals.

Assessment 1 Criteria (Poster Presentation/Exhibition and Write-up):

Azerbaijan will be hosting the 2024 edition of the United Nations annual climate change conference (COP29). The relevant discussions will focus on sustainable world and partnership across governments and businesses and reducing emissions. The assessment will follow a Poster Presentation to provide critical evaluation on achieving a global sustainable policy and strategy for implementation.

1. You will be randomly paired up (week 2)

2. There will be a raffle draw from topics around the broad theme by each pair (week 3)

3. Poster Presentation Outlook and Structure:

1. Prepare a physical poster (printed on A0)- this will be liaised with the UWL Printing team.
2. Provide a 10minutes Exhibition/presentation of your poster
   1. Submission of the Poster presentation (PowerPoint version) and 800 words critical evaluation on the topic.
   2. You will be provided with complete guidance during the seminars.

4. Grade Allocation:

a. The content of the Poster – 50%

b. The content of the critical evaluation of the poster (800 Words)- 30%

1. Background/Objective - 5%
2. Theoretical discussion - 5%
3. Practical Examples -10%
   1. Conclusion/personal reflection of the COP28 Exhibition- 5%
   2. Overall Structure- 5%

Assessment 1- 800 words Rubric/Mark Scheme

Employability Skills

This assessment covers the following employability skills, which you could demonstrate on your CV and at job interviews if you successfully pass the assessment:

1. Critical Thinking- in choosing and presenting understanding of the chosen topic .

2. Communication- articulating and presenting ideas in summarised format with potential for scrutiny questions.

3. Decision Making- identifying and allocating the relevant learning materials on your selected topic.

4. Digitally literate- the use of PowerPoint to present your ideas.

5. Problem solving- fostering recommendations from the research topic on leadership

6. Time management- presenting within a stipulated time.

7. Confidence in presenting ideas to peers and a grading team.

8. Building Interpersonal skills

Summative Assessment 2

Assessment 2: Individual Project/Portfolio on Urbanisation and Economic Growth (Learning outcome 1 and 2)

According to the United Nations, the global urban population has projected 1.35 billion by 2030. A further 68% rise is expected by 2050. The concentration of countries’ populations in major cities and towns provides an insight into the relationship between urbanisation and development. Vital questions on whether rapid population growth in cities can help increase living standards while reducing its degrading effect on the ecosystem and socio-economic indicators have embodied the arguments of urbanisation and development.

You are expected to produce an essay on urbanisation and economic growth with reference to the implication for poverty and the environment. You should provide a critical argument and assessment of population growth in cities on socio-economic growth for developing countries. You can evaluate the pros and cons of increasing cities population on economic growth with real country examples.

General structure and Marking Criteria (Assessment 2)

The general structure and marking criteria for the policy review essay is as follows:

1. Provision of an excellent introductory paragraph that highlights the objective, background and definition of important concepts. (10%).
2. Evidence of critical analysis and articulation of relevant concepts and provision of supporting data and case studies. Good presentation of arguments or points. (60%)
3. Constructive conclusion, relevant additional analysis and acknowledged limitations (15%)
4. Overall presentation and attention to grammatical errors (10%)
5. Satisfactory referencing using the Harvard format (5%)

Assessment 2: Rubric/Mark Scheme

Employability Skills

This assessment covers the following employability skills, which you could demonstrate on your CV and at job interviews if you successfully pass the assessment.

1. Critical Thinking