Overview

History shows that energy transitions can have dramatic impacts. The Agricultural Revolution of the Neolithic period and the Industrial Revolution of the 19th and 20th centuries were both essentially energy revolutions that utterly transformed human society and the economy. We are in the early stages of a new transition to clean energy. This transition is both an urgent necessity to achieve net zero carbon emissions by mid-century and limit damage from climate change, as well as a historic opportunity to create an energy system that is cleaner, cheaper, more secure, and more equitable than the fossil fuel-based system of today.

INET Oxford is actively conducting research on the technologies that are driving this transition, the policies that are key to enabling and accelerating it, and the impacts this transition is likely to have. Examples include work on better forecasting the progress, cost declines, and deployment of key clean energy technologies (e.g., solar, wind, batteries), understanding the impacts of the transition on the macroeconomy, jobs, and the financial system, and assessments of which policies have been most effective in driving the transition. Our researchers are also analysing the most effective and efficient ways to transition away from fossil fuels, for example carbon taxation, coal phaseouts, and policies on energy finance.

Related Projects


Recent Publications

Sept 2025
INET Working Paper
Aug 2025
Policy Briefing
Jul 2025
Journal
Economic models and frameworks to guide climate policy
in Oxford Review of Economic Policy
Cameron Hepburn ,  Matthew C. Ives ,  Sam Loni ,  Penny Mealy ,  Pete Barbrook-Johnson ,  J. Doyne Farmer ,  Nicholas Stern ,  Joseph Stiglitz
Jul 2025
INET Working Paper
Jul 2025
Report
The UK State of Carbon Dioxide Removal
Christopher Lomax ,  Stephen M. Smith ,  Rob Bellamy ,  Astha Wagle
Jul 2025
Journal
The autonomous adaptation of US homes to changing temperatures
in Journal of Economic Geography
François Cohen ,  Matthieu Glachant ,  Magnus Söderberg
Jun 2025
Video
Jun 2025
Article
Tackling transformational change in climate policy appraisal: experiences and perceptions of United Kingdom policy analysts
Cormac Lynch ,  Pete Barbrook-Johnson ,  Pablo Salas Bravo ,  Jean-Francois Mercure ,  Femke Nijsse ,  Jin Qin ,  Roberto Pasqualino
Jun 2025
Policy Briefing
May 2025
INET Working Paper
May 2025
Journal
Complex systems approaches to 21st century challenges: Introduction to the Special Issue
in Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
Jenna Bednar ,  Maria del Rio-Chanona ,  J. Doyne Farmer ,  Jagoda Kaszowska-Mojsa ,  François Lafond ,  Penny Mealy ,  Marco Pangallo ,  Anton Pichler
May 2025
INET Working Paper
2025-11 - Innovation Bandits: A Dynamic Portfolio Strategy with Endogenous Rewards
Lennart Baumgärtner ,  Laurin Köhler-Schindler ,  Jacquelyn Pless
View All Related Publications

Who's Involved