News
Size matters: Why the offshore wind industry is supersizing everything
Oxford Smith School Chief Operating Officer Caroline Lytton comments on the ever increasing size of wind turbines in Fortune. Right now, she explains, there are not enough ships of sufficient size to install turbines as quickly as they’re needed: “The turbines are scaling quicker than shipbuilders can keep up with."
Researchers create “one-stop shop” for effective monitoring of Nature-based Solutions
From the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to the Biodiversity Monitoring Framework agreed at COP16, there is an increasing recognition that nature and biodiversity projects require better monitoring if they are to be successful.
We just found millions in waste in California’s cap-and-trade program. Here’s the fix
Dr Stephen Lezak writes on how the U.S. state of California is wasting millions on carbon credits in an opinion co-authored with Barbara Haya of the University of California.
EU Plan to Water Down ESG Rules Risks Wave of Litigation, Legal Scholars Warn
The EU has announced plans to simplify the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, a move Dr Thom Wetzer described as "really risky" and a "a retrograde step."
The upshot is that “litigation risk on emission reduction is significant in the EU,” added Wetzer. “And that sets the European Union apart from many other parts of the world.”
Legal scholars warn against watering down of corporate climate transition plans
A letter from 31 of Europe's leading legal scholars, including Thom Wetzer and Benjamin Franta from the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme, advises against proposed changes that would significantly weaken Article 22 of the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
Artists to create greenhouse gas removal inspired projects
The CO2RE programme has selected 7 works including VR interactive landscapes, biochar sculptures and performance pieces to receive funding to explore greenhouse gas removal and engage the public on its potential.
How does carbon capture work? Tony Blair says it’s the answer
A report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change brought renewed media interest in Carbon Capture and Storage this week. Professor Cameron Hepburn warned that the technology “needs to scale up by 100 to 1,000 times, but even then, it’s just 10 per cent of the answer.”
Cameron Hepburn: Sir Tony Blair’s net zero intervention missed the mark
Cameron Hepburn, Battcock Professor of Environmental Economics at the Oxford Smith School, responds to a new report from The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change that calls for a re-think on net zero policies.
A US Brain Drain Doesn’t Benefit Anyone
Bloomberg spoke to Oxford Smith School Director Mette Morsing for this report on the global consequences of American academics leaving their country in response to Trump administration policies.
'Times' Letter of the Day
"The Times recent leading article calling for the abandonment of the UK’s clean power target misunderstands the economic and strategic case for clean energy", writes Anupama Sen. "Far from being an 'ideological obsession', decarbonising the power grid is a practical necessity."
Can AI make corporations’ climate conduct more transparent?
Raconteur interviewed Dr Benjamin Franta on CLARA, an AI tool built by his team that can produce fast, accurate reports on fossil fuel company activities. “By increasing accountability, we hope AI can be a leveller – not just something big companies use for their own interests but also something people can use to hold corporations accountable," said Dr Franta.
How forging ahead with Net Zero could make Britain money
Shrinking the UK’s Net Zero ambition would only make energy prices higher and put British industry at a disadvantage, warns professor Doyne Farmer. We must create a sustainable system of tomorrow.