Provided by The School of Economic Science,
11 Mandeville Place, London, W1U 3AJ
Charity numbers 313115 and SC039950
Economics, Energy & Environment
SESSIONS
Session 1
We're seeing so many different things converging on us from environmental degradation to financial crisis. But what to they have to do with each other? We'll explore the challenges we are facing as a civilisation, ranging from environmental degradation to financial crisis. We propose a unified 3-part model that connects nature to human activity and money.
ORGANISATION
We are intending to run the 5 week course again in spring 2017 starting 28 Feb 2017, 7pm – 9:30pm for 5 weeks. If you are interested in attending the course please register your interest below, and we will let you know as soon as registrations open.
Session 2
How does nature work? It's much more complex than a predictable machine, so how should we go about understanding it? We go back to first principles and explore profound themes from energy, thermodynamics and ecology to understand the dynamics of natural systems as the basis of all economic activity.
Session 3
How do human societies really work? How do the cycles in nature profoundly shape everything we do? We build on our analysis of natural world from the previous session, to explore how human societies work. We look at the energy basis for our society, assess approaches to renewable energy and critique the theories of peak-oil and energy budgets (EROEI) to understand the trends we see in our world today.
Session 4
How can any one person really understand the complex area of money and its effects? Is our monetary system forcing constant growth to the detriment of our environment? How can we understand the financial crisis and the explosion of public debt? In this week we simplify the complex arena of money by examining the flows of the financial world. We look to see the causes of the growth and how the limits in the real world play out in the monetary economy.
The course and conference both take place at The School of Economic Science, 11 Mandeville Place, London W1U 3AJ less than five minutes walk from Bond Street tube station.
LOCATION
5 Week Course - Spring 2017
​Session 5
So what can I do? What does this mean to me personally, and in the face of such large global trends can I really affect anything through my actions? This week we consider the implications of the insights gained from the previous weeks, both on society and also on ourselves at a personal level. What does this perspective suggest for a reasonable response? What are our next steps?
We all know our environment is important and we are facing significant challenge. But why does society seem unable to adapt our economic life to respond? Can understanding energy and ecology tell us about what is really happening in our economic life? How can we respond to the challenges we face in a rational and coherent way?
We will explore and discuss a view of economics built from the ground up. We'll establish the foundations on the principles of ecology and nature to build a more holistic view of economics in our society.
With a few simple perspectives and frameworks we will attempt to peer below the surface and understand the challenges in the world around us and consider a meaningful personal response.