Blogs: Environment

Economies are reliant on the resources provided by the natural environment and yet, left unchecked, economic development can lead to its irreversible destruction. We can help you understand economic dependency on the environment and the impact of economic growth on the natural world around us.

What do our economic models tell us about green growth?

amazon fires green growth degrowth

Is it really possible to keep on consuming more and more, while still respecting societal and environmental boundaries?
Will the future be one of green growth (the economy grows while resource use falls) or degrowth (economic growth is constrained in order to reduce environmenta…

Plastics in a circular economy

circular economy plastics tax

Are bioplastics the best solution for sustainable packaging in a circular economy? Is biodegradable or bio-based material ‘greener’ than multiple use plastics?
Conflicts with food production and an increase in the use of fertilisers and pesticides are not the only concern, analys…

The social cost of carbon; it’s time to kill it

Social cost of carbon emissions CO2

The social cost of carbon (SCC) is misguided, increasingly irrelevant and should have been abandoned years ago, so argues our Director and Head of Modelling, Hector Pollitt.

What is the social cost of carbon (SCC)?
The social cost of carbon (SCC) is a hideous construct of mainst…

What if China said ‘no’ to new coal?

chinese coal climate change

Head of Modelling, Hector Pollitt, sends us a report from the United Nations climate change talks (COP24) in Katowice, Poland.
The mood going into COP24 has not been overly positive. Yes, there are record numbers of renewables installations, but global emissions are still increas…

Estimating the global value of stranded fossil fuel assets

the global value of stranded fossil fuel assetsassets

The momentum behind technological change in the global power and transportation sectors is overwhelming.
Our analysis, published in Nature Climate Change, suggests that between $1tn and $4tn could be wiped off the value of global fossil fuel assets by 2035.

This dramatic declin…