In this webinar we discuss the policy implications from a Smith School/INET Oxford New Paper published in Science, with the UK Government's newly appointed Head of Mission Control for Clean Power 2030, Chris Stark.
Oxford Climate Econometrics research published in August 2024 [also see a Summary here], provides the first global, systematic evaluation identifying which combinations of policy instruments have led to large emissions reductions out of 1,500 climate policies implemented between 1999-2022 across 41 countries and six continents.
The paper, based on a ground-breaking new method, has been widely covered in the media including in the Financial Times. But beyond the academic analysis, the Webinar asks the ‘so what’ question: what concrete, major policy changes can be made based on the findings of this paper? What does it mean, for instance, for UK policymakers seeking to close the emissions gap in their progress towards net zero, while making Britain a clean energy superpower? And how can policies be leveraged more effectively either on their own, or in combinations, by developing countries?
Join us with a special panel of speakers, including the UK Government's Head of Mission Control for Clean Power 2030 and two authors of the paper, Moritz Schwarz and Ebba Mark, as we discuss what makes for successful policy mixes in a volatile world; how the emissions gap can be closed in different countries; and, what this means for policymakers facing time and resource constraints.
About the Panellists
Anupama Sen, who will moderate the Webinar, is Head of Policy Engagement for the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. Her role is to contribute to the School’s mission and strategy by increasing the impact of its work, and the adoption and application of rigorous research by governments, international institutions, policymakers and enterprise – public and private. She works closely with the core team and senior researchers.
Chris Stark will lead a new control centre to turbocharge the government’s mission to provide Britain with cheaper and clean power by 2030. This new Mission Control will be the first of its kind in government, with a relentless focus on accelerating the transition away from volatile fossil fuel markets to clean, homegrown power, to boost Britain’s energy independence and cut bills for the British people. Chris Stark, photo credit Anna Moffat.
Ebba Mark, the lead University of Oxford researcher on the paper, is a DPhil Student with Climate Econometrics and the Calleva Project at Magdalen College. She is focused on applying econometric methods to the study of what constitutes a 'Just Transition.' Passionate about evidence-based policymaking and ensuring that urgent environmental action is compatible with ongoing fights for greater equality, her research interest is in advancing empirical work to inform the scale and type of Just Transition policies necessary as societies move towards fulfilling net-zero objectives.
Moritz Schwarz, is an Associate with the Climate Econometrics project at Nuffield College and the Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment. His research, under the supervision of Prof Cameron Hepburn and Prof Sir David Hendry, focused on the macro-econometric estimation of climate impacts. Further research interests include spatial econometrics and remote-sensing.