Publications

Insurance as a catalyst for using climate risk information for government planning and decision-making: A framework for analysing drivers and barriers, tested against evidence emerging from Sub-Saharan Africa

Working paper by Swenja Surminski, Jon Barnes, Katharine Vincent on 8 Oct 2019

This paper from the UMFULA programme investigates the potential catalyst role of insurance in adaptation to climate change in a developing country context that is characterised by low insurance penetration and a relatively low level of government planning, analysing the problem from the perspective of insurers in South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania. read more »

Mortality, temperature and public health provision: evidence from Mexico

Working paper by François Cohen, Antoine Dechezleprêtre on 4 Oct 2019

In this paper the authors examine the impact of temperature on mortality in Mexico using daily data over the period 1998–2017. read more »

Is firm-level clean or dirty innovation valued more?

Working paper by Antoine Dechezleprêtre, Cal B. Muckley, Parvati Neelakantan on 3 Oct 2019

In this paper the authors raise the question of whether there is an economic incentive for firms to pursue strategies of clean, environmentally supportive innovation as opposed to carbon-emitting dirty innovation activities. read more »

Disaster insurance in developing Asia: An analysis of market-based schemes

Policy publication by Swenja Surminski, Architesh Panda on 1 Oct 2019

This working paper analyzes the status, types, and evolution of market-based disaster insurance schemes across developing Asia. Well-designed insurance schemes can play an important role in increasing resilience to climate … read more »

Financing inclusive climate action in the UK: An investor roadmap for the just transition

Policy publication by Nick Robins, Andy Gouldson, William Irwin, Andrew Sudmant, James Rydge on 1 Oct 2019

This report sets out the role that investors can play in delivering a just transition in the UK as the country works towards net-zero emissions, illustrating the implications through a set of place-based examples from Yorkshire and the Humber and setting out recommendations for investor action. read more »

Sustainability Economics

Book by Giles Atkinson, Sam Fankhauser on 25 Sep 2019

The unprecedented advances in economic development witnessed over the past decades cannot continue if economic progress comes at the expense of the natural environment. The Sustainable Development Goals, agreed globally … read more »

Creating useful and usable weather and climate information – insights from Participatory Scenario Planning in Malawi

Working paper by Dorothy Tembo-Nhlema, Katharine Vincent, Rebecka Henriksson Malinga on 9 Sep 2019

This paper outlines experiences with Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP), which has been used in Malawi as a method to bring together producers and users of weather and climate information to co-produce sector-specific advisories of weather information to make it both useful and usable to the different user groups, including farmers. read more »

Cities, climate change and chronic heat exposure

Policy publication by Patrick Curran, Christian Siderius, Tanya Singh on 6 Sep 2019

Climate change will lead to increases in the occurrence of chronic heat exposure over longer durations and there is an urgent need to focus on managing the risks this poses, as well as the immediate risks from shorter-lived heat events. This policy brief looks at the problem with a focus on developing and emerging economies, and provides recommendations for action by government, utilities, property developers and investors, development support and finance organisations. read more »

Emissions trading with rolling horizons

Working paper by Simon Quemin, Raphaël Trotignon on 30 Aug 2019

The authors of this paper develop a model to evaluate first, the market developments in the European Union emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) over 2008–2017 ex-post and second, the performances of main features of the EU ETS reforms that took place in 2018, ex-ante. read more »

From individual fuzzy cognitive maps to agent based models: modelling multi-factorial and multi-stakeholder decision-making for water scarcity

Working paper by Sara Mehryar, Richard Sliuzas, Nina Schwarz, Ali Sharifi, Martin van Maarseveen on 29 Aug 2019

The authors of this paper develop an integrated modelling methodology combining an Agent-Based Model with Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping and use it to simulate impacts of policy options addressing the problems of water scarcity for a farming community in Rafsanjan, Iran. read more »