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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.