Human Ecology, Environmental Ethics [Nappali] [2025/26/1]

The concepts, principles and approaches taught and presented in this course have been relevant and unquestionable in every era of humanity, and of course they still are today. The differences, the weights and focus have varied according to the needs of the societies of the time. This course applies the principles and definition of sustainability based on three pillars: ecological health, economic prosperity and social justice. It addresses the challenges of growth in population and consumption, climate change, depletion of mineral resources, biodiversity loss, overfishing, desertification, poverty, as well as unequal distribution of wealth, from an ethical perspective. The role of technology in sustainable development is discussed.  Sustainability is an issue of ethics, and decisions to pursue sustainability are made based on the ethics of religious/secular/philosophical traditions, framed in the social, economic and environmental conditions of the individual, groups, communities and societies. Ethical principles addressed include precautionary, distributional and environmental principles. Students learn applying of ethical theories and principles in practice to develop knowledge of the important role of ethics in sustainability and an understanding of the behaviour of these complex situations, bearing in mind the challenges of managing them sustainably. The rest of the course will review the interactions between humanity and nature throughout human history., The subject develops the ability to see the interrelationships, helps to develop a dynamic approach and problem-solving skills. It provides a foundation of knowledge related to the interlinkages of ecosystem and society and helps to see and understand their interrelations and interconnections. During the course, students work in groups, analyse case studies to evaluate the human-environment interlinkages, the development potential and future role, present their findings and engage in dialogues and disputes.

Environmental Economics [Nappali] [2025/26/1]

Environmental Economics
Tutor: Prof. Sándor Kerekes kerekes.sandor@nje.hu
Detailed course description
During the course we will discuss the major principles of sustainable development and we will search for means for applying these principles in practice. We will examine what enterprises can do for sustainable development. Our future lies in building sustainable enterprises and economic reality that connects industry, society and the natural environment. What are the strategic drivers for Corporate Sustainability and why companies develop sustainability strategies? How can companies build social, environmental and economic capital simultaneously? How stakeholders influence companies’ strategies?
The regulations of nature conservation started with „command and control” type legal solutions at the beginning of the 1970s. As a reaction to them the so-called ’end-of-pipe’ environmental solutions were formed.. At the beginning of the 80s indirect or economic tools started to spread in environmental policy and in parallel, the technical solutions also changed and in the 90s cleaner production solutions emerged which were more environment-efficient. The new generation means institutional solutions, mostly voluntary solutions and technology serving these purposes.
Topics
1.
The biosphere and the economy The mutual embeddedness of economic, social and ecological systems, the Ehrlich’s model, The Jevons paradox and the rebound effect
2.
The concept of sustainable development, strict and weak sustainability, the Hicks-Page-Hartwick-Solow rule
3.
Our planet’s limits and resilience, Natural and social resilience
Modelling possible interrelations of carrying capacity and economy, The principles of sustainable development
5.
Sustainable consumption and the Easterlin paradox. The principles of Shared economy
6.
The Environmental Kuznets curves
7.
The economics of environmental pollution
The theory of externalities, The economically optimal level of environmental externalities
8.
The handling of externalities in economic theory. The size of the Pigovian tax, A cost effective share of abatement obligations among several polluters or abatement possibilities
9.
The Coase theorem, environmental policy consequences of Pigou and Coase’s theories, The case of joint application of direct and indirect tools
10.
Environmental regulation, corporate adaptation, Environment regulation in case of non-stationary pollution
11.
The new climate economy
12.
Managing corporate environmental risks, The term of risk,
technical and cultural rationality of risk
2
2
13.
Endogenous and exogenous Elements of Environmental Risk
Reactive and Strategic Environmental Management
14.
Corporate sustainability and CSR
Grading based on course work + oral examination
Textbook: Sustainability, environmental economics, welfare
Kerekes, Sándor and Marjainé Szerényi, Zsuzsanna and Kocsis, Tamás (2018) Sustainability, environmental economics, welfare. Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest. . ISBN 978-963-503-711-7 DOI https://doi.org/10.14267/cb.2018k05 Download from: http://unipub.lib.uni-corvinus.hu/3658/
Sándor Kerekes: Planetary bounderies, income distribution


Sándor Kerekes: Risk perception and cultural rationality

Sándor Kerekes – iASK, Are SDGs and AI reshaping the Economy? The question of trust!?
https://iask.hu/hu/az-unesco-2020-nemzetkozi-teli-egyetem-programja/
András Gelencsér, Climate Change: Dying Canary in the Coal Mine https://iask.hu/hu/3-blus-sky-konferencia-uj-strategiak-a-bizonytalansag-koraban/
László Csernai, Energy and Sustainable Development https://iask.hu/hu/3-blus-sky-konferencia-uj-strategiak-a-bizonytalansag-koraban/
Prof. Gyula Zilahy
Sustainable products and services
https://mindentudas.videotorium.hu/hu/recordings/8987/sustainble-products-and-services
Suggested readings:
1.
Atkinson, A. B., Piketty, T., & Saez, E. (2009). Top incomes in the long run of history. National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w154
2.
Baumol, W. J., & Oates, W. E. (1988). The theory of environmental policy. Cambridge university press. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/books?hl=hu&lr=&id=32-r0N8l9BgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Bator+%E2%80%9EThe+Anatomy+of+market+failure%E2%80%9D+Quarterly+Journal+of+Economics,+%C3%A9s+Head,+Public+Goods+and+Public+Policy%E2%80%9D+Public+Finance+XVII+No.3,+1962),+197-219.&ots=P0S4nAJ0pI&sig=hnfDTOhZ7daxU_k9ii8Zt9Z51Tg
3.
Bianchi, M. (2012). A Joyful Economist. Scitovsky’s Memoirs. History of Economic Thought and Policy. Retrieved from http://www.francoangeli.it/Riviste/Scheda_Rivista.aspx?IDarticolo=46615
4.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000a). Beyond boredom and anxiety. Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2000-12701-000
3
3
5.
Daly, H. E. (2005). Economics in a full world. Scientific American, 293(3), 100–107.
6.
Hardin, G. (1968). The tragedy of the commons. Science, 162(3859), 1243–1248.
7.
Hardin, G. (1998a). Extensions of “The Tragedy of the Commons.” Science, 280(5364), 682–683. http://doi.org/10.1126/science.280.5364.682
8.
Lovins, A. B., Lovins, L. H., & Hawken, P. (1999). A road map for natural capitalism. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/books?hl=hu&lr=&id=nO9MMxTtaeMC&oi=fnd&pg=PA250&dq=Hawken,+Lovins,+%26+Lovins,+1999&ots=KxASv0VYlv&sig=aLQYZNno2H7pNLS9jTb1DTo0Ozo
9.
Steffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockström, J., Cornell, S. E., Fetzer, I., Bennett, E. M., … Sörlin, S. (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347(6223), 1259855. http://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855
10.
Stern, D. I., Common, M. S., & Barbier, E. B. (1996). Economic growth and environmental degradation: the environmental Kuznets curve and sustainable development. World Development, 24(7), 1151–1160.
11.
Stern, N., & others. (2007). The economics of climate change: the Stern report. Cambridge, UK.
12.
Stevenson, B., & Wolfers, J. (2008). Economic growth and subjective well-being: Reassessing the Easterlin paradox. National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w14282
13.
Walker, B., Holling, C. S., Carpenter, S. R., & Kinzig, A. (2004). Resilience, adaptability and transformability in social–ecological systems. Ecology and Society, 9(2), 5.
14.
Yandle, B., Vijayaraghavan, M., & Bhattarai, M. (2008). The Environmental Kuznets Curve: APrimer. The Property and Environment Research Center, Retrieved, 16.

Degree Work I [Nappali] [2025/26/1]

Business and Environmental Law [Nappali] [2025/26/1]