Here's everything remaining about the end of the semester:
The properly formatted document is on the public folders.
1. Final Exam is in the ARC: Sat., May 10, 8:30 – 10:30am
OR Mon., May 12, 11:00 – 1:00pm
2. There is an in-class part of the final exam, and a take home portion (see opposite side). The take home portion must be presented when you take the in-class exam, and must be submitted to Bb before that time. (50 points total)
3. In-Class final exam: closed book, but do bring a calculator. (50 points total).
4. Office hours: Tues, May 6, 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Wed., May 7, noon - 2pm (Econ Barbecue!!), and then until 3pm.
Thursday, May 8, 1pm - 2:30 pm
Friday, May 9, 10:00 - 11:45 am
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Review questions: The final is all about using specific economic and scientific knowledge you’ve gained in the course (or elsewhere). In particular, your job is to separate sense from nonsense, and explain the difference. I will ask questions about the following:
A lead article for Earth Day in the local Times Union (April 21, 2008, p. C1) states:
By 2069, if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, New York’s climate will resemble Georgia’s.... Even if New York is successful at reining in its emissions by switching to clean technologies, we can still expect gradual warming that will make the weather here similar to Virginia’s ....
The April 28, 2008 issue of Time is labeled a "Special Environment Issue" and the lead article is "How to Win the War on Global Warming." Here is the key excerpt:
The steady deterioration of the very climate of our very planet is becoming a war of the first order, and by any measure, the U.S. is losing. Indeed, if we're fighting at all—and by most accounts, we're not—we're fighting on the wrong side. The U.S. produces nearly a quarter of the world's greenhouse gases each year and has stubbornly made it clear that it doesn't intend to do a whole lot about it....
The rub is, if the vast majority of people increasingly agree that climate change is a global emergency, there's far less consensus on how to fix it..... Money will get us part of the way there, but what's needed most is will.... No one yet has a comprehensive plan for how we could do so again, but everyone agrees on what the biggest parts of the plan would be. Here's our blueprint for how America can fight—and win—the war on global warming.
First, Price the Sky
The most important part of a blueprint to contain climate change is to put a charge on carbon emissions. As long as the sky is free, renewable energy will never beat fossil fuels. But put a price on carbon, and suddenly the alternatives look a lot better. The most feasible way to do this is through a cap-and-trade system .... The effect is that overall carbon levels fall, and there is even money to be made by being greener than the next guy.
National Geographic has a special issue out titled "Changing Climate." The Table of Contents lists the three major articles: Signs of Change
The Science is In, and
Solutions.
Here’s the description of "Solutions":
From wind farms to solar farms, electric cars to light-emitting diodes, the latest green revolution has already begun, what communities are doing to cut their collective emissions, and why a carbon-neutral world might just be healthier, happier, and more profitable for all.
And, a calculation like this: A new wastewater reclamation plant in Orange County (near Los Angeles) has just been completed. Here are the benefits and costs of running it this year and each of the next four years. Should it be operated?
Benefits: $10 million each year.
Costs: $ 8, 9, 10, 11, and $15 million in year’s 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively.
Evaluate using a 5% discount rate.
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Final Exam: Take home part
The work presented must be entirely your own, and submitted to Blackboard before you take the in-class final. The hard copy of your responses are due at the in-class final exam. Please omit exam questions in your file, as it complicates checking for the originality of your writing.
There have been heated discussions regarding eliminating much of the existing tax on gasoline for the summer "driving season." Evaluate a proposal to reduce gas taxes by 50 cents per gallon for three months, clearly distinguishing equity and efficiency impacts.
Use the technical economic concepts from the course, using appropriate language and organization. Most good responses will include appropriate graphs. You may consult written material on the current controversy, but it must be fully and appropriately cited.
List the benefits and costs from one class project, in a manner consistent with what we learned about benefits and costs in class. Clearly identify the author and subject matter.
(a) Define strong sustainability.
(b) Identify a project which evaluates impacts through the perspective of strong sustainability. Explain how this strong sustainability relates (or should relate) to the author’s evaluation of their policy alternative.
4. (a) Define weak sustainability.
(b) Identify a project which evaluates impacts through the perspective of weak sustainability. Explain how this weak sustainability relates (or should relate) to the author’s evaluation of their policy alternative.
where k, a, and b are constants, N is the installed capacity (learning by doing assumed), t is time (proxy for technical change) and p is the price of oil (because of embedded energy use in manufacturing and installation of PV systems).
