News
The Guardian: Only one in 10 utility firms prioritise renewable electricity
New research finds electric utility companies are undermining the global transition to net zero emissions. Only 10 percent of companies have prioritised renewable capacity and many of those continue to invest in fossil fuels as well. The study, led by Galina Alova, was published today in Nature Energy.
Better company ESG performance improves economic growth
New research from the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford, finds that private sector companies' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices positively affect macroeconomic performance including GDP.
The Independent: Treat the System, Not the Symptoms: Covid-19 lessons for the Climate Crisis
The business response to Covid-19 can teach us vital lessons about the climate emergency, say Aoife Brophy Haney (Smith School and Said Business School) and Peter Drobac (Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship) in the Independent. Three features of business responses offer critical insights for ways to accelerate the response to the climate crisis: people, place and partnership.
The Economist: Carbon pricing, offsetting needed to tackle climate change
Two articles in the Economist's May 23 2020 edition include comment from Ben Caldecott, Director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Programme and Associate Professor at the Smith School. New technology can enable better carbon offsetting - for example the use of high-resolution satellite imagery means that it is possible to know exactly when a tree is cut down.
FT: Governments should launch new policies to promote a green economic recovery
The FT view calls for a green economic recovery from COVID19, drawing on recent Smith School research from Cameron Hepburn, Brian O'Callaghan and colleagues.
Building back better: A net-zero emissions recovery
An analysis of possible Covid-19 economic recovery packages shows the potential for strong alignment between the economy and the environment. Over the next six months, these measures will largely determine whether the worst impacts of global warming can be avoided.
The Telegraph: How can we ensure our investments don't harm the environment?
There is a massive and sustained interest in aligning finance with sustainability. Individual savers, shareholders, politicians and regulators all have a part to play, writes Ben Caldecott for the Telegraph 'Power of Us' campaign.
FT: Lex in depth: the $900bn cost of 'stranded energy assets '
"If the 1.5C climate target were to be met, over 80 per cent of hydrocarbon assets would be worthless." Ben Caldecott comments in the FT Lex column on the Smith School-led concept of stranded assets.
Wired: Do Carbon Offsets Really Work? It Depends on the Details
Purchasing carbon offsets "is clearly better than doing nothing," Cameron Hepburn tells Wired. But key considerations include the need for companies to already be reducing emissions and assurance that offsets aren't replacing other actions.
The Economist: Letter to the Editor - Carbon Utilisation
Extensive coverage in the Economist of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) prompted a response from Professor Cameron Hepburn, Director of the Smith School. The letter highlights recent research on CO2 utilisation as well as the potential of mandatory carbon sequestration - requiring fossil-fuel companies to capture and safely dispose of a fraction of the carbon dioxide that they extract or import - to speed investment in CCUS technologies.
FT: An alternative future for the sell-side analyst: eco-warrior
Dr Alex Money explores climate-related risk and the role of research analysts in this op-ed for the Financial Times. Dr Money is the Director of the Innovative Infrastructure Investment Programme at the Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and Environment and a former fund manager.
Thomson Reuters: Air conditioning for all? Hotter world faces risk of 'cooling poverty'
As extreme heat grows with climate change, finding cheaper and greener cooling is crucial to protect both people and the climate. "By the end of the century, global energy demand for cooling will be more than it is for heating," Dr Radhika Khosla told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Dr Khosla is a senior researcher at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and leads the Oxford Martin programme on the future of cooling.