Environmental economics informs the various regulations and measures that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says Joel Wood, associate professor in the Department of Economics at Thompson Rivers University.Supplied
As climate-related weather events and environmental degradation make headlines across the globe, they evoke not only concern but the growing desire among many people to make a difference.
Samikshya Paudel has made climate action a priority, both in her personal and professional life, and she credits TRU’s Master of Science in Environmental Economics and Management (MScEEM) with giving her valuable career-ready skills.
“I live my life a certain way and try my best to consider emissions and climate change in my everyday choices,” she says, “and I love working in a sustainability-related profession.”
Ms. Paudel is not alone in her desire to move the needle on climate change. “Working in sustainability is a popular career choice, probably due to climate anxiety,” she notes. “Many people want to work in environmentally conscious organizations and run projects and programs that have a real impact.”
The intersection between economics and the environment particularly sparked her interest in the TRU program, yet there was another key experience: the opportunity to apply her knowledge in a real-world research project.
“In addition to gaining a foundational understanding about the impact of emissions, I had the opportunity to create greenhouse gas inventories with a community-based, family-run business,” she explains. “The project was specific to the regulatory context of B.C., but these frameworks can be applied anywhere in the world.”
While a global perspective is important for Ms. Paudel, who comes from Nepal, the experience enabled her to pursue immediate career opportunities in Canada. Upon her graduation in 2024, she was hired for a role that included reporting municipal greenhouse gas emissions in northern B.C.
Career-ready skills and competencies gained at TRU translate into high demand for graduates, says Joel Wood, associate professor and the faculty program coordinator for the MScEEM and Master in Environmental Economics and Management (MEEM) programs, “which stand out for their strong focus on environmental and natural resource economics.”
As organizations across the public, private and non-profit sectors increasingly incorporate sustainability considerations into their strategies, they need team members with environmental economics expertise, he explains. “We are facing unprecedented challenges with respect to climate change, so environmental economics has a lot to say about the various regulations and measures that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Both programs are housed in the Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics and are accessible online, on-campus, full-time and part-time. While the programs already cover a wide scope of environmental economics, Dr. Wood says students further broaden their horizon by “taking business courses relevant to these problems, for example, on ethics and corporate social responsibility, and supply chain management.”
Samikshya Paudel" I live my life a certain way and try my best to consider emissions and climate change in my everyday choices, and I love working in a sustainability-related profession.
MScEEM, Sustainability Programs Specialist
As a result, graduates come away with an in-depth understanding about the forces and factors that can help contribute to a sustainable future, from government policies like carbon pricing, designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to voluntary measures that can give businesses a competitive edge.
“Businesses turn to environmental economics and management strategies for ways to incorporate sustainability into organizational strategy,” says Dr. Wood. “Through a commitment to corporate social responsibility, they signal to their customers, employees and shareholders that they’re doing things in a more sustainable way.”
Advantages include being able to attract customers who factor sustainability parameters into their decision-making, being better prepared when future climate policy comes into effect, being eligible for environmentally conscious investments, and being able to attract top talent.
“From the response to our programs, we know interest in environmental sustainability is very strong and growing,” says Dr. Wood, adding that students – who come from a wide variety of backgrounds and from across the world – apply with letters of purpose, where “care for the environment and worry about climate change are common themes.”
Students “are looking for a way to help address local and global [sustainability] challenges – and the opportunity to gain practical skills adds to the attraction of the programs,” he says. “When students work on carbon inventory projects or other applied research, they help advance understanding about sustainability in general – and also provide tangible solutions for the organizations they work with. This also gives them an advantage post-graduation when they can show potential employers the impact they’ve achieved.”
For Ms. Paudel, the TRU research project was “a holistic experience that helped build project-ready and client-ready skills while still being supported by faculty.”
Being surrounded by people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives further enriched the classroom experience and helped create a strong foundation for success.
“At TRU, you work with people who are scientists or who come from business, engineering or social sciences,” says Ms. Paudel, adding that this prepared her for being part of teams with the perspective of “someone who understands how to facilitate change within systems.
“We’re part of a collective working towards the same goal – and this inspires hope and a sense of belonging.”
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