Is technological change good for the environment in a globalized world, or does it rather lead to more pollution? Do climate policies represent worthy attempts to preserve the environment for future generations, or are they just pointless burdens on economic systems? Do efforts to increase the level of education in developing countries lead to faster economic growth, or are they just a waste of already scarce resources? These are some of the themes investigated in this dissertation: the aim of this work is to contribute some answers to questions that touch our life, every day. The focus of this thesis is on the interrelations between technological change, environmental policy and environmental quality, on the one hand; and between technological change, human capital accumulation and economic development, on the other. This work points out that, to understand these complex phenomena, we need to take into account both the general equilibrium features of the problems, i.e. the feed-backs between technological change and inputs (such as resources and skills) supply; and the dynamic issues involved, i.e. the evolution over time of the level, and of the composition of technology and inputs.
