News

New research uses machine learning to predict that total electricity generation across the African continent will double by 2030, with fossil fuels continuing to dominate the energy mix and posing potential risk to global climate change commitments. The study, published in Nature Energy, was led by Galina Alova with co-authors Philipp Trotter and Alex Money.

As UK citizens, should we all be doing more to make our money matter? Writing in the Telegraph, Ben Caldecott, Director of Oxford's Sustainable Finance Programme, encourages individuals to invest in companies that can prove their environmental credentials. "Getting our capital to speed up the transition to environmental sustainability is a key lever and one of the most important ones we have."

The Times of India covers new research from Radhika Khosla and international partners across North America, Europe and Asia, finding that cheap technology and sufficient skills already exist worldwide to achieve net-zero energy buildings at costs in the range of traditional projects. The article explores net-zero solutions and the implications of the study in Delhi.

Asset managers are analyzing pictures and data taken from outer space to predict the physical impacts of global warming, writes Bloomberg Green. The article explores pioneering work by Smith School partner Lombard Odier to use geospatial data in risk analysis. It also explores new research from the Spatial Finance Initiative at the Smith School, led by Ben Caldecott.

'A proliferation in traditional air conditioning meant to protect people from intense heat could also exacerbate global warming,' writes Scientific American. This in-depth article explores cutting-edge research from Radhika Khosla and colleagues at Oxford's Future of Cooling Programme as they explore sustainable cooling and reveal its impacts on each of the sustainable development goals.

But how can China to achieve this goal? Yangsiyu Lu, researcher at the Smith School, suggests the country ought to focus on three key policy areas: coal, technology innovation in electricity generation, and nature-based solutions.

The Wall Street Journal covers BP CEO Bernard Looney's plans to tilt the British energy company away from oil, hoping to profit instead from wind and solar power. With comment from Cameron Hepburn.

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.

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.

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.