Environmental Commodities: Economics and Policy

The growing field of climate technology requires a multifaceted skill set and a sound understanding of the raw materials value chains that enable modern, low-carbon technologies. This course is designed for students interested in the climate economy seeking to gain functional proficiency in the environmental commodities value chains, the economics associated with production, processing, and refining, and the geopolitical landscape concerning these commodities. This course will cover the basics of commodity supply/demand, the basics of project finance/project development, and all major minerals and materials in the climate economy, including but not limited to lithium, cobalt, rare earths, copper, nickel, chemicals, oil, gas, coal, hydrogen, and carbon markets and pricing. Throughout the course, students will build a short-form commodity price opinion pitch and a long-form commodity price pitch and present their deliverable at the end of the course.