Publications

Can low-carbon urban development be pro-poor? The case of Kolkata, India

Research article by Sarah Colenbrander, Andy Gouldson, Stephen Hall, N. Kerr, Andrew Sudmant, J. Roy, S. Sarkar, A. Ghatak, D. Chakravarty, D. Ganguly on 23 Dec 2016

Fast-growing cities in the global South have an important role to play in climate change mitigation. However, city governments typically focus on more pressing socioeconomic needs, such as reducing urban poverty. To what extent can social, economic and climate objectives be aligned? Focusing on Kolkata in India, we consider the economic case for low-carbon urban […]

Consumption-based carbon accounting: does it have a future?

Research article by Stavros Afionis, John Barrett, Andy Gouldson, Marco Sakai, Kate Scott on 23 Dec 2016

Internationally, allocation of responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is currently based on the production-based (PB) accounting method, which measures emissions generated in the place where goods and services are produced. However, the growth of emissions embodied in trade has raised the question whether we should switch to, or amalgamate PB accounting, with other accounting […]

Getting more ‘carbon bang’ for your ‘buck’ in Acre State, Brazil

Working paper by Charles Palmer, Luca Taschini on 31 Oct 2016

Acre State in Brazil is at the forefront of efforts to institutionalize jurisdictional-scale policies that aim to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). Given limited REDD+ funds and … read more »

Climate change, development, poverty and economics

Working paper by Sam Fankhauser, Nicholas Stern on 17 Oct 2016

The past three decades have seen an unprecedented increase in world living standards and a fall in poverty across many fundamental dimensions. Increased confidence in what was possible together with … read more »

The Economics of Climate-Resilient Development

Book by Sam Fankhauser, Tom McDermott on 8 Sep 2016

Some climate change is now inevitable and strategies to adapt to these changes are quickly developing. The question is particularly paramount for low-income countries, which are likely to be most … read more »

Exploring power and procedural justice within Climate Compatible Development design: whose priorities are being considered?

Research article by Ben Wood, Lindsay Stringer, Andy Dougill, Claire Quinn on 17 Aug 2016

Climate compatible development (CCD) is gaining traction as a conceptual framework for mainstreaming climate change mitigation and adaptation within development efforts. Understanding whether and how CCD design processes reconcile different stakeholder preferences can reveal how the concept contends with patterns of sociocultural and political oppression that condition patterns of development. We, therefore, explore procedural justice […]

A systematic review of the impacts of climate variability and change on electricity systems in Europe

Research article by Jouni Paavola, Suraje Dessai, Muriel Bonjean Stanton on 1 Aug 2016

Understanding the impacts of CV&C2 (climate variability and change) on electricity systems is paramount for operators preparing for weather-related disruptions, policymakers deciding on future directions of energy policies and European decision makers shaping research programs. This study conducted a systematic literature review to collate consistent patterns of impacts of CV&C on electricity systems in Europe. […]

Cities and climate change mitigation: Economic opportunities and governance challenges in Asia

Research article by Andy Gouldson, Sarah Colenbrander, Andrew Sudmant, N. Kerr, Stephen Hall, Effie Papargyropolou on 1 May 2016

Cities are central to the fight against climate change, but the IPCC recently noted that many cities — and particularly those in the developing world — lack the institutional, financial and technical capacities needed to switch to low emission development paths. Based on detailed case studies of three Asian cities, this paper finds that the […]

“Proximising” climate change reconsidered: A construal level theory perspective

Research article by Suraje Dessai on 15 Apr 2016

Abstract Reducing the psychological distance of climate change has repeatedly been proposed as one strategy to increase individuals’ motivation to respond to climate change. From the perspective of construal level theory, decreasing psychological distance should not itself influence people’s willingness to act but change the processes that underlie individual decision-making. We conducted two experiments in […]

Evidence and perceptions of rainfall change in Malawi: Do maize cultivar choices enhance climate change adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa?

Research article by Chloe Sutcliffe, Andy Dougill, Claire Quinn on 1 Apr 2016

Getting farmers to adopt new cultivars with greater tolerance for coping with climatic extremes and variability is considered as one way of adapting agricultural production to climate change. However, for successful adaptation to occur, an accurate recognition and understanding of the climate signal by key stakeholders (farmers, seed suppliers and agricultural extension services) is an essential […]