An Economist's Guide to Climate Change
Podcasts
Grades9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Economics
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by MIT Climate Portal
What it is
- In this 15-minute podcast episode, research scientist Dr. Jennifer Morris explains the social cost of carbon, how economic models attempt to translate the harms of climate change into dollars, and why estimates of that cost vary so widely.
- Students learn how uncertainty, hard-to-quantify impacts, and the risk of catastrophic tipping points shape the debate, and why economists argue that an uncertain cost is not a reason for inaction.
Teaching tips
Classroom Implementation:
- This podcast episode includes a full transcript, so it works well as listening, reading, or a combination.
- Use this podcast in an environmental economics or policy unit to introduce ideas like the social cost of carbon, carbon taxes, and externalities.
Related Resources:
- Use this En-ROADS simulation lesson to discover the mitigating impacts of carbon prices and other policy approaches.
- Use this short video about Doughnut Economics to introduce alternative economic models that center environmental and social wellbeing.
Extensions:
- Have students weigh the arguments for setting a carbon price through a social cost of carbon estimate versus the European Union's cap-based approach, and discuss what each prioritizes.
- Ask students to explain, using the podcast's reasoning, why treating the cost of carbon as zero is a claim that evidence contradicts.
From the scientist review
This podcast explores the social cost of carbon in great detail. Throughout, focus is given to the myriad consequences of climate change. Most powerfully, this resource promotes both climate change mitigation, by means of a carbon tax or cap and trade, and adaptation, directly countering the myth that an either/or approach is feasible. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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Hosted on climate.mit.edu
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