Environmental and Sustainability Policy
There are profound environmental threats facing our society in the U.S. and globally, including global warming, biodiversity loss, pollution, deforestation, sea level rise, and food and water insecurity.
We guide policymakers and educate students in developing public policy and regulatory approaches to advance solutions to environmental challenges.
Faculty Spotlight
Nick Sanders
Associate Professor; Director of Graduate Studies
Nicholas Sanders’ research focuses on environmental policy and regulation, environmental quality, health, and human behavior. He is a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, on the editorial council of the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and a member of the American Economic Association and the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.
Course Spotlight
Comparative Environmental Policy
Course details: This course focuses on environmental legislation such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and others as a foundation for US environmental policy. Internationally, focus on Environmental Policy in multiple countries and comparative to US environmental policy. Over the course we will discuss how environmental policy directly impacts community, public health, natural ecological systems, concepts of justice, and socioeconomics. We will explore these major environmental policies in the US as a basis of comparison and then apply those mechanism domestically or internationally to address climate change and improve other environment conditions. Students who seek to work in the US will build an analytic skill set to be competitive for jobs in environmental consulting, government, public policy, public health, non-profits, and advocacy groups.
