Overview

The Economics of Sustainability Programme seeks to understand the economy and environment as a deeply interlinked complex system and is working to gain insights into how the human economic part of this integrated system might be transformed to become more sustainable.

Economics has often viewed the economy and Earth's physical and ecological systems as separate domains. It frequently does not account for the economy's need for energy and material inputs and views pollution as an "externality." The Economics of Sustainability Programme is attempting to understand the economy and environment as a deeply interlinked complex system and is working to gain insights into how the human economic part of this integrated system might be transformed to become more sustainable. The programme is looking at new ways to take into account natural capital, measure wealth creation, stimulate green technology innovation, and assess climate and economic risk. It is also looking at new methods of modelling economy-ecosystem interactions to better understand the impact of climate policies on economic growth, employment, and political economy, and to understand socioeconomic tipping points and dynamic effects in the transition to a post-carbon society. The programme is also examining the institutional innovations needed to transition to a sustainable economy. The programme is directed by Prof. Cameron Hepburn and is conducted in partnership with Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.

Related Projects


Recent Publications

Oct 2024
Journal
The Case for Climate Alliances
in Stanford Social Innovation Review
Matteo Gasparini ,  Knut Haanaes ,  Emily Tedards ,  Peter Tufano
Sept 2024
INET Working Paper
Aug 2024
Journal
Policy support for BECCS and DACCS in Europe: the view of market participants
in Environmental Research Letters
Pu Yang ,  Sam Fankhauser ,  Stephen M. Smith ,  Ingrid Sundvor ,  Stephanie Hirmer ,  Injy Johnstone ,  Joseph Stemmler
Aug 2024
Journal
A blueprint for energy systems in the era of central bank digital currencies
in Technological Forecasting and Social Change
Iacopo Savelli ,  Cameron Hepburn ,  Thomas Morstyn
Aug 2024
Blog
Jul 2024
Journal
Jun 2024
Journal
May 2024
INET Working Paper
No. 2023-17 - The Economics of Coal Phaseouts
Sugandha Srivastav ,  Michael Zaehringer
Apr 2024
Journal
Making resource adequacy a private good: The good, the bad, and the ugly
in Joule
Xiyu Ren ,  Iacopo Savelli ,  Thomas Morstyn
Apr 2024
Report
Power sector futures in China: A multi-model approach to understanding China’s carbon-neutral pathways and power sector reform
Arabella Miller-Wang ,  Hongyu Zhang ,  Peter Barbrook-Johnson ,  Yixuan Zhang ,  Pim Vercoulen ,  Femke Nijsse ,  Yuyan Weng ,  Simon Sharpe ,  Jean-Francois Mercure ,  Michael Grubb ,  Xiliang Zhang
Apr 2024
Journal
Turning a groundswell of climate action into ground rules for net zero
in Nature Climate Change
Thomas Hale ,  Thom Wetzer ,  Selam Kidane Abebe ,  Myles Allen ,  Amir Amel-Zadeh ,  John Armour ,  Kaya Axelsson ,  Ben Caldecott ,  Lucilla Dias ,  Sam Fankhauser ,  Benjamin Franta ,  Cameron Hepburn ,  Kennedy Mbeva ,  Lavanya Rajamani ,  Steve Smith ,  Rupert Stuart-Smith
Apr 2024
Journal
Accelerating carbon neutrality in China: Sensitive intervention points for the energy and transport sectors in Beijing and Hong Kong
in Journal of Cleaner Production
Sum Yue Chang ,  Matthew Ives ,  Myles R. Allen ,  Jay R.S. Doorga ,  Yuan Xu
Apr 2024
Journal
Model-based financial regulations impair the transition to net-zero carbon emissions
in Nature Climate Change
Matteo Gasparini ,  Matthew Ives ,  Ben Carr ,  Sophie Fry ,  Eric Beinhocker
Feb 2024
Journal
Economic modelling fit for the demands of energy decision makers
in Nature Energy
Peter Barbrook-Johnson ,  Jean-Francois Mercure ,  Simon Sharpe ,  Cristina Penasco ,  Cameron Hepburn ,  Laura Diaz Anadon ,  J. Doyne Farmer ,  Timothy M. Lenton
Jan 2024
Journal
Whose jobs face transition risk in Alberta? Understanding sectoral employment precarity in an oil-rich Canadian province
in Climate Policy
Antonina Scheer ,  Moritz Schwarz ,  Debbie Hopkins ,  Ben Caldecott
Dec 2023
Working Paper
Nov 2023
INET Working Paper
No. 2023-28 - Employment dynamics in a rapid decarbonization of the power sector
Joris Bucker ,  R. Maria del Rio-Chanona ,  Anton Pichler ,  Matthew C. Ives ,  J. Doyne Farmer
Nov 2023
Journal
Co-financing and infrastructure project outcomes in Chinese lending and overseas development finance
in World Development
Yangsiyu Lu ,  Cecilia Springer ,  Bjarne Steffen
Nov 2023
Journal
How are climate policies assessed in emerging economies? A study of ex-ante policy appraisal in Brazil, China, and India
in Climate Policy
Jin Qin ,  Cormac Lynch ,  Peter Barbrook-Johnson ,  Pablo Salas ,  Guanyu Yang ,  Michel Ferreira Cardia Haddad ,  Roberto Pasqualino ,  Jean-Francois Mercure
Nov 2023
Journal
Sensitive intervention points: a strategic approach to climate action
in Oxford Review of Economic Policy
Penny Mealy ,  Matthew C. Ives ,  Cameron Hepburn ,  Sugandha Srivastav ,  Peter Barbrook-Johnson
Oct 2023
INET Working Paper
No. 2023-21 - Modelling labour market transitions: the case of productivity shifts in Brazil
Anna Berryman ,  Joris Bucker ,  Fernanda Senra de Moura ,  Peter Barbrook-Johnson ,  Marek Hanusch ,  Penny Mealy ,  R Maria del Rio-Chanona ,  J. Doyne Farmer
Oct 2023
Journal
Healthy Climate, Healthy Bodies: Optimal Fuel Taxation and Physical Activity
in Economica
Inge van den Bijgaart ,  David Klenert ,  Linus Mattauch ,  Simona Sulikova
Oct 2023
Briefing
Oct 2023
INET Working Paper
Sept 2023
Article
Is it time to reboot welfare economics? Overview
Diane Coyle ,  Mark Fabian ,  Eric Beinhocker ,  Tim Besley ,  Margaret Stevens
View All Related Publications

Who's Involved