Course coordinator
Dr Ammarr Aripin
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Economics School
Markets, market failures and externalities; economics of environmental pollution problems; economic measures for pollution control and environmental regulation. Environmental change, economic growth, natural resource depletion and population growth.
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to basic concepts and principles in environmental economics, and to demonstrate how these concepts can be used to provide insights into the design of policies which go some way towards addressing environmental problems at both local and global levels.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Before attempting this course, you are advised that it is important to complete the appropriate prerequisite course ﾠlisted on the front of this course profile. No responsibility will be accepted by UQ School of Economics, the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law or The University of Queensland for poor student performance occurring in courses where the appropriate prerequisite(s) has/have not been completed, for any reason whatsoever.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
ECON1010 or 1011 or 2011
Course contact
School enquiries
Student Enquiries, School of Economics
All enquiries regarding student and academic administration (i.e. non-course content information, e.g., class allocation, timetables, extension to assessment due date, etc.) should be directed to enquiries@economics.uq.edu.au.
Enquiries relating specifically to course content should be directed to the Course Coordinator/Lecturer.
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Ammarr Aripin
Tutor
Mr Zane Haster
Mr Hugh O'Donnell
Miss Lucinda Yee
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Lectures and tutorials will be delivered in person only. Lectures will be recorded, however tutorials are not recorded.
Lectures commence in Week 1.
Tutorials commence in Week 2.
Please see the Learning Activities section of this Course Profile for the timetabling implications of public holidays.
Important Dates:
- Public Holidays: Wed 13 August (Royal Queensland Show Holiday), Mon 6 October (King’s Birthday public holiday).
- Mid-Semester Break: 29 September – 3 October. Semester 2 classes recommence on Tue 7 October.
Students should refer to the timetable prior to the commencement of classes to ensure that they have the most up to date information, as from time to time late room changes may occur.
Aims and outcomes
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to basic concepts and principles in environmental economics, and to demonstrate how these concepts can be used to provide insights into the solution of environmental problems.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Apply economic theories and frameworks to critical environmental problems within the interdisciplinary industry.
LO2.
Implement market and non-market tools and techniques to improve environmental quality and reduce environmental destruction.
LO3.
Distinguish various environmental problems locally and globally to propose appropriate responses using the economic theories and frameworks.
LO4.
Critically evaluate the environmental impact of decision-making using the economic approach and policy.
LO5.
Communicate findings and solutions using diverse formats.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation |
Podcast Presentation
|
35% |
Week 4 22/08/2025 3:00 pm Week 7 12/09/2025 3:00 pm
Group formation is due in Week 4, while the podcast proposal is an individual submission due in Week 7. Presentations will take place during tutorials in Weeks 10, 11, and 12. Each team is required to submit their recording one hour before their scheduled tutorial. Students must bring their student ID to be verified by the tutor. |
| Examination |
In-semester Exam
|
30% |
The exam will take place in class on Thursday, 25 September 2025, at 12:00 pm. Further details will be announced on Blackboard. |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Reflection |
Applied Case Study
|
35% |
10/11/2025 3:00 pm |
Assessment details
Podcast Presentation
- Team or group-based
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
Week 4 22/08/2025 3:00 pm
Week 7 12/09/2025 3:00 pm
Group formation is due in Week 4, while the podcast proposal is an individual submission due in Week 7.
Presentations will take place during tutorials in Weeks 10, 11, and 12. Each team is required to submit their recording one hour before their scheduled tutorial. Students must bring their student ID to be verified by the tutor.
- Other conditions
- Peer assessment factor.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L05
Task description
Students will work in groups to complete a Podcast Presentation, which consists of three milestones: group formation (5%) due in Week 4; podcast proposal (10%) due in Week 7; and the final podcast video submission (20%), due one hour before the allocated tutorial in Weeks 10, 11, or 12, depending on the chosen environmental issue topic (1, 2, or 3). The selected topic must be finalised during the first milestone (group formation) in Week 4, during the student’s allocated tutorial class with the tutor. Changes to the topic will not be permitted after this point. These nested assessment milestones are worth 35% in total and are designed to ensure students stay on track with the task requirements.
Groups of 4 or 5 students will be formed during the allocated tutorial class, and topics will be selected on a first come, first served basis. All team members must agree to present in the week that corresponds to their chosen topic.
Buddycheck will be used as part of this assessment.
Refer to the task sheet for details. Further details for each milestone will be announced on Blackboard.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.
Submission guidelines
Submission is via blackboard. Refer to Blackboard for more details.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
No extensions are given for the group presentation, as extensions for group work will impact the group submission.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
In-semester Exam
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
The exam will take place in class on Thursday, 25 September 2025, at 12:00 pm. Further details will be announced on Blackboard.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L04
Task description
The in-semester exam will assess students' understanding of analytical tools, environmental analysis, and environmental policy topics discussed in Lectures 1 to 8 and Tutorials 1 to 7. The exam will consist of calculation-based and short-answer questions and will be held in class during the lecture period in Week 9. The duration of the exam is 60 minutes.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Calculator options | (Online) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved calculator |
| Open/closed book | Closed book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Applied Case Study
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Reflection
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
10/11/2025 3:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Work integrated learning.
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03, L04
Task description
Students are required to complete a take-home case study assignment. Students will have two weeks to complete the assignment. The assignment will be released at the end of Week 11.
The assignment will consist of a written report worth 30% and a reflection worth 5% for a total of 35% of your final grade.
The assignment must be submitted electronically through the Online Submission link in the Assessment section of the Course Blackboard site. Further details to be announced in Blackboard.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.
Submission guidelines
Submission is via blackboard. Refer to Blackboard for more details.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Extensions may affect your ability to graduate in a given semester. While we allow a maximum 14-day extension, please be aware that if you wish to graduate on time, your extension may be for a shorter duration to ensure timely grade processing.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0% - 29% |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30% - 46% |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47% - 49% |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50% - 64% |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65% - 74% |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75% - 84% |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85% - 100% |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
A student's final overall end of semester percentage mark will be rounded to determine their final grade. For example, 64.5% rounds to 65%, while 64.4% rounds to 64%.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Using AI at UQ
Visit the AI Student Hub for essential information on understanding and using Artificial Intelligence in your studies responsibly.
Plagiarism
The School of Economics is committed to reducing the incidence of plagiarism. You are encouraged to read the UQ Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy available in the Policies and Procedures section of this course profile.
The Academic Integrity Module (AIM) outlines your obligations and responsibilities as a UQ student. It is compulsory for all new to UQ students to complete the AIM.
Submission Assignments:
Unless otherwise specified, all assignments must be submitted electronically via Blackboard.ﾠThe instructions for submission are in their respective folders under Assessment on the course Blackboard site.ﾠAll assignments must be submitted by the due date and time stated in the course profile.
Referencing and Citing
APA is theﾠrequiredﾠreferencing style in this course.
Assignments must be substantially your own work. If you wish to report another author’s point of view you should do so in your own words, and properly cite the reference in accordance with the school style. Direct quotations should be used sparingly, form a small part of your work, and must be placed in quotation marks and duly referenced.
Any material taken from texts and other references, including electronic resources, CD‐ROMS, and the Internet, must be acknowledged using the accepted School style.
Students are encouraged to discuss issues that arise in this course together. However, the written work you submit must be entirely your own. Similarly, you must not help another student to cheat by lending assignments (present or past).
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Please refer to the course Blackboard site for further learning resources, including lecture slides, tutorial questions, and additional readings. ﾠ ﾠ ﾠ
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (28 Jul - 03 Aug) |
Lecture |
Introduction to Environmental Economics What is environmental economics? Learning outcomes: L01 |
Multiple weeks From Week 2 To Week 13 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Tutorials will run from week 2 - 13. During the tutorial, students will complete work examples from the relevant textbooks and prepare case study exercises including podcasts. Podcast presentations will take place in class during Weeks 10, 11, or 12, depending on the environmental topic selected by each group. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 2 (04 Aug - 10 Aug) |
Lecture |
Analytical Tools I Benefits and costs, supply and demand; Markets, externalities, and public goods. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Week 3 (11 Aug - 17 Aug) |
Lecture |
Analytical Tools II Economics of environmental quality; Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Royal QLD Show 13th August - public holiday No tutorials on Wednesday 13th August. Students are invited to attend another tutorial for this week only. |
|
Week 4 (18 Aug - 24 Aug) |
Lecture |
Environmental Analysis I Framework of analysis; Benefits-cost analysis: Benefits Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Week 5 (25 Aug - 31 Aug) |
Lecture |
Environmental Analysis II Benefits-cost analysis: Costs Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Week 6 (01 Sep - 07 Sep) |
Lecture |
Environmental Policy I Decentralized policies, Command and control policices Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Week 7 (08 Sep - 14 Sep) |
Lecture |
Environmental Policy II Emission charges and subsidies Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Week 8 (15 Sep - 21 Sep) |
Lecture |
Environmental Policy III Market trading systems and comparing policy options Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Week 9 (22 Sep - 28 Sep) |
Lecture |
In-semester Exam in class Week 9 is allocated for the in-class exam during the lecture period. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Mid Sem break (29 Sep - 05 Oct) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Mid Semester Break There will be no classes this week. |
Week 10 (06 Oct - 12 Oct) |
Lecture |
Environmental Issues I Climate change, energy efficiency, and the social cost of carbon Learning outcomes: L03, L04 |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
King's Birthday Public Holiday 6th October No tutorials on Monday 6th October. Students are invited to attend another tutorial for this week only. |
|
Week 11 (13 Oct - 19 Oct) |
Lecture |
Environmental Issues II Globalization; Economic development and the environment Learning outcomes: L03, L04 |
Week 12 (20 Oct - 26 Oct) |
Lecture |
Environmental Issues III & Guest Lecture Air pollution; An Industry Expert will attend this lecture to brief students on the Applied Case Study topic. Learning outcomes: L03, L04 |
Week 13 (27 Oct - 02 Nov) |
Lecture |
Final Review Guidelines to preparing an applied case study. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.