Dr Aurelien Saussay

This course is available on the Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-Columbia), Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-Sciences Po), Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-University of Toronto), Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Policy, MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Hertie), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and NUS), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Tokyo) and MPA in Data Science for Public Policy. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

Priority given to School of Public Policy students. Students from outside of the School of Public Policy should submit a statement in support of their request.

Deadline for application: 9am on Monday of AT Week 1 (including requests from School of Public Policy students). We aim to inform students of the outcome of their request by 12noon on Tuesday of AT Week 1.

For queries contact: spp.doubledegrees@lse.ac.uk

Mutually exclusive courses:

This course cannot be taken with GY427 at any time on the same degree programme.

This course will introduce students to the problem of climate change and the ways in which policy might be effectively used to address it, with a particular emphasis on the economics of climate change mitigation. It will provide:

• the basic science of climate change
• how to assess the cost of climate change to society, including discounting, carbon budgets, and the social cost of carbon
• the design of climate mitigation policy, including carbon pricing, regulation, industrial policy, and their interactions
• adaptation to climate risks, the distributional and competitiveness implications of climate policy, and the challenge of international cooperation
• net-zero pathways, negative emissions, and the integrity of carbon offsets.

The course will be grounded in cutting-edge academic research and structured around topics which are relevant to current climate policy debates. The emphasis will be on giving students the necessary knowledge and skills to achieve a deep and broad understanding of climate policy and the ability to mobilize the most recent academic research to make a difference on the climate front – whether working in government, the private sector or advocacy. The course content will be complemented by up to four seminars dedicated to guest lectures by practitioners active in the climate policymaking space.

The assessments will build on the foundational material covered across the ten teaching weeks. Students will deliver a policy essay on a climate-related policy question of their choice, designed under the supervision of the course convener. This main summative will be completed by a quantitative exercise designed to familiarize students with the basics of quantitative climate policy design and analysis. Finally students will also deliver 5-min individual presentations during lectures and seminars on an article provided by the course convener.

20 hours of seminars and 10 hours of workshops in the Winter Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.

One page outline of the summative policy essay

• IPCC (2022) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Synthesis Report (SYR)
• Nordhaus, W. D. (2017). Revisiting the social cost of carbon. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(7), 1518-1523.
• Baede, A. P. M. (2001) "The climate system: an overview." Climate change 2001: the scientific basis: 38-47

Presentation (20%).

Essay (60%, 3000 words).

Data analysis (20%).

Presentation (20%) will consist of a 5-minute individual presentation
Data Analysis (20%) will consist of a quantitative exercise
Essay (60%)