Project Prof. Dr. Timo Goeschl

Global Change and Globalization

Global environmental change and globalization are both key challenges facing society today. They are also inexorably interlinked. On the one hand, globalization is creating historically unprecedented opportunities for economic growth and the integration of civil societies across the globe. It is also redrawing the global map of the spatial patterns of production and consumption. On the other hand, the output growth and the changes in the geography of production brought about by globalization are key drivers of environmental degradation in many parts of the world. This degradation feeds back into economic and social dynamics by raising new economic, societal and political issues and conflicts that require resolution.

While globalization both drives and is affected by global environmental change, it also offers essential building blocks for addressing its consequences: functioning global markets and international coordination of policies will play a role in mitigation of and adaptation to global change and are unthinkable without a high degree of globalization.

Understanding the multiple interdependencies between globalization and global change requires joint research by natural and social scientists. My work within this broad undertaking focuses on the following aspects:

- The poltiical economy of enviornmental policy, both at the national and international level

(distributive issues, governance; regulation and their legitimacy)

- The economics of exhaustible resources and stock pollutants.

- Instrument choice in environmental policy (issues of static and dynamic efficiency;

incentives for innovation; integration of pollution and innovation policies)

- Monitoring and Enforcement (implementation of regulation; compliance)