Climate Finance: An Economic and Financial Approach to Climate Change

Catalog description

Climate change threatens physical, social, and financial systems worldwide. Businesses, governments, and financial markets are responding to its threats. What approaches work well and in what scenarios, especially as AI transforms both economic activity and energy consumption? And given that the people and countries most exposed to climate risk often have the least access to financial tools to manage it, how can international agreements and financial instruments address distributional inequities? This course examines the interaction between climate change and firms, financial markets, policymakers, and international organizations. Topics include energy transition, carbon pricing, ESG investing, and biodiversity. We begin with the scientific foundations of climate change, then apply economic frameworks to analyze how markets and regulators are responding. The course is grounded in economic frameworks but focuses on real-world application and policy, including guest lectures. We cover both global issues and topics specific to the Gulf. The class is valuable for students across disciplines and career interests.