- Annual award recognises the environmental economist under the age of forty who's made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge;
- Panel point to Linus Mattauch’s strong publishing history and wide-ranging work;
- In acceptance speech, Professor Mattauch stresses the importance of striking the right balance between the immense value of nature and the price of protecting it.
Linus Mattauch has been announced as the winner the 2025 European Award for Researchers in Environmental Economics Under the Age of Forty.
At an award ceremony held in Bergen on 18 June 2025, the Nominating Committee of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) pointed to Linus' strong publication record and breadth of research as reasons for the award. They also recognised his policy focus and leadership role in several research groups.
With 28 peer-reviewed articles published in the American Economic Review, Science, the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Nature Climate Change and other top journals in the field, Linus has co-authored papers with influential figures such as Charles Godfray, physicist Susan Solomon, Nicholas Stern and Joseph Stiglitz.
His research, conducted at institutions including the Technical University of Berlin, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the University of Oxford, has stretched from public economics, inequality, behavioural economics and political economy, to applications in transport, health and food policy and climate physics.
A core element of his work has been about environmental taxation, in which he examines how carbon pricing can be made progressive and supported by the public and characterises optimal taxes on fuel and meat. He uses a wide variety of methods: theoretical and numerical modelling in particular, as well as empirical analysis building on online surveys.
The Committee commented on Linus' commitment to ensuring that his research reaches policy-makers including his support to the European Commission - and also recognised his leadership role in passing on his knowledge to the younger generation by leading research groups and activities.
Some of Linus' key publications at The Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET Oxford), where he is part of the Economics of Sustainability Team, include:
'Striking the right balance' on nature
On receiving the award, Linus spoke about the importance of environmental economists striking the right balance between recognizing the immense value of nature and the price of protecting it.
“A cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” wrote Oscar Wilde. Many of you will know this quotation – as a summary of how ordinary people sometimes view economists. Far less well known is how the passage from Wilde’s play continues: “a sentimentalist […] is a man who sees an absurd value in everything, and doesn’t know the market price of any single thing” Linus said.
"I have always felt that the researchers in EAERE are aware of these dangerous characters. I believe environmental economists strike the right balance between recognizing the immense value of nature and the price of protecting it. That distinguishes us from other academic tribes.
"I sincerely thank EAERE, in particular the Nominating Committee and the Council for the award. I am also deeply grateful to my institutions, the Technical University of Berlin, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the University of Oxford and to my mentors, friends there for making my career possible - and my current team. The award will deepen my commitment to research politically possible instruments for decarbonizing our economies.
"In my work, I try to follow a simple principle: research in economics and the policy advice based on it should be guided by combining utopianism with pragmatism – such is Oscar Wilde’s lesson. The utopian part consists of calling for change based on moral principles. The pragmatic part is about accepting political realities and starting with them when developing concrete reform proposals. I do believe it is important to remind ourselves of this balance in the current political context as we conduct our research" Professor Mattauch added.
Impact on European policy-making
Co-director of the Economics of Sustainability Programme Cameron Hepburn, who has co-authored many significant papers with Linus, commented on the significant policy impact of his work.
"Linus had a very productive period as a lecturer and a postdoctoral researcher with us at INET Oxford, from 2016-2021, and we were delighted that he progressed to the Robert Bosch Junior professor at the Technical University of Berlin and is also leading a lab at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research" Professor Hepburn said.
"His work has had an impact on European climate policy making. His co-authored paper, “Making Carbon Pricing Work for Citizens”, was used to advise six European governments and the finance ministers of the Eurozone. In 2023, he advised the European Commission on environmental economics of sustainable diets. His research has been covered by news outlets such as Time, The Economist, Spiegel Online and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" he added.
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