Lecture 17

Class Survey Results vs. Professional Consensus: Pre- and Post-Course Comparison

Byeong-Hak Choe

bchoe@geneseo.edu

SUNY Geneseo

December 8, 2025

📊 Class Survey Results: Pre- and Post-Course Comparison

💵 Carbon Markets and Carbon Offsets

Professional Economists (2023): 56.84% agree

• Class Support:
  • Pre-Course: 31%
    
  • Post-Course: 81%

• Change: +50% points → strong convergence toward market-based GHG regulation

♻️ Recycling Carbon Revenues

Professional Economists (2023): 55.5% agree

• Class Support:
  • Pre-Course: 24%
    
  • Post-Course: 71%

• Change: +47% points → major shift toward revenue-recycling policy

🌍 Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

Professional Economists (2023): 67.72% favor

• Class Support:
  • Pre-Course: 44%
    
  • Post-Course: 76%

• Change: +32% points → increased awareness of carbon leakage and trade policy

📈 Limits to Economic Growth

Professional Economists (2023): 44.21% agree

• Class Support:
  • Pre-Course: 56%
    
  • Post-Course: 81%

• Change: +25% points → increased awareness of long-run growth limits under climate change

🏠⚡ Home Clean-Energy Tax Credits

Professional Economists (2023): 61.26% favor

• Class Support:
  • Pre-Course: 81%
    
  • Post-Course: 100%

• Change: +19% points → unanimous post-course support

🏛️ EPA Regulatory Authority

Professional Economists (2023): 80.63% disagree

• Class Disagreement:
  • Pre-Course: 38%
    
  • Post-Course: 57%

• Change: +19% points → Growing recognition that EPA regulation improves economic efficiency

✅ Course Summary

📘 What We Learned This Semester

• Market Failures
  • Externalities
  • Open Access
  • Public Goods
  • Information Problems
  • Incentive Problems
  • Behavioral Anomalies

• The Coase Theorem

• Policy Design: Incentives,Information, Institutions, & Social Norms

• Career in Sustainability & Environmental Economics

• Cost–Benefit Analysis
  • Discount Rate
  • Social Cost of Carbon
  • Value of Statistical Life

• Market for Pollution: Price vs. Quantity Approaches

• Climate Agreements
  • Institutions & Incentives
  • Game Theory

• Climate Risk and Adaptation

• 🌍👤 Course Project: Climate Change and the Individual

📝 Student Course Evaluation (SCE)

I have made every effort to enhance your learning experience in this course.

Your feedback is extremely valuable and helps improve future classes.

I sincerely encourage your participation in the Student Course Evaluation (SCE).

✅ Please Take 10 Minutes Now to Complete the SCE

On your laptop, follow these steps to access the SCE for ECON 340:

1. Log in to the SCE Survey Portal
2. Click on “Surveys”
3. Select ECON 340 and complete the evaluation

Thank you for your time and thoughtful feedback.

Post-Course Survey Results

Concern: Air quality

Economists: 57.14% concerned

• Before: Our class is 31% more concerned than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 46% more concerned than professional economists.

Concern: Environmental justice

Economists: 53.97% concerned

• Before: Our class is 21% more concerned than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 27% more concerned than professional economists.

Concern: Renewable energy

Economists: 45.21% concerned

• Before: Our class is 35% more concerned than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 46% more concerned than professional economists.

Concern: Mining impacts

Economists: 40.64% concerned

• Before: Our class is 16% more concerned than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 17% more concerned than professional economists.

Concern: Solid waste

Economists: 39.46% unconcerned

• Before: Our class is 37% more concerned than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 23% more concerned than professional economists.

Concern: Hazardous waste

Economists: 38.38% neutral

• Before: Our class is 50% more concerned than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 48% more concerned than professional economists.

Policy Support: Methane limits (natural gas production)

Economists: 75.39% favor

• Before: Our class is 7% more supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is as supportive as professional economists.

Policy Support: International agreements

Economists: 74.35% favor

• Before: Our class is 26% more supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 12% more supportive than professional economists.

Policy Support: EV charging stations (federal funding)

Economists: 68.95% favor

• Before: Our class is 31% less supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 31% less supportive than professional economists.

Policy Support: Border carbon adjustment (tax imports by GHG)

Economists: 67.72% favor

• Before: Our class is 24% less supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 9% more supportive than professional economists.

Policy Support: Higher fuel-efficiency standards

Economists: 66.84% favor

• Before: Our class is 15% more supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 20% more supportive than professional economists.

Policy Support: Business incentives for clean energy

Economists: 63.35% favor

• Before: Our class is 18% more supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 18% more supportive than professional economists.

Policy Support: Home clean‑energy tax credits

Economists: 61.26% favor

• Before: Our class is 20% more supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 39% more supportive than professional economists.

Policy Support: EV purchase tax credits

Economists: 51.85% favor

• Before: Our class is as supportive as professional economists.
  
• After: Our class is as supportive as professional economists.

Agree: EJ regulation should be implemented

Economists: 81.15% agree

• Before: Our class is 6% more supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 9% more supportive than professional economists.

Agree: Reduce EPA regulatory power improves efficiency

Economists: 80.63% disagree

• Before: Our class is 42% less disagreement than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 24% less disagreement than professional economists.

Agree: Communities near hazardous waste sites are aware/accepting

Economists: 75.39% disagree

• Before: Our class is 12% more supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is as supportive as professional economists.

Agree: Free market / property rights / tort law are best tools

Economists: 73.44% disagree

• Before: Our class is 49% less disagreement than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 25% less disagreement than professional economists.

Agree: Economic growth always harms the environment

Economists: 70.16% disagree

• Before: Our class is 5% more disagreement than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 18% more disagreement than professional economists.

Agree: Carbon markets and offsets are efficient for firms

Economists: 56.84% agree

• Before: Our class is 26% less supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 24% more supportive than professional economists.

Agree: Return carbon revenues via dividends / lower taxes

Economists: 55.5% agree

• Before: Our class is 32% less supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 15% more supportive than professional economists.

Agree: Use carbon revenues to reduce national debt

Economists: 42.63% neutral

• Before: Our class is 5% less neutral than professional economists.
  
• After: Our class is 17% less neutral than professional economists.

Agree: Emission standards are rigid / insensitive to differences

Economists: 49.74% agree

• Before: Our class is 13% more supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is as supportive as professional economists.

Agree: Max sustainable level of economic growth exists

Economists: 44.21% agree

• Before: Our class is 12% more supportive than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 37% more supportive than professional economists.

Agree: Population growth degrades the environment

Economists: 41.58% disagree

• Before: Our class is 24% less disagreement than professional economists.
• After: Our class is 28% less disagreement than professional economists.