Climate Change Economics and the Low Carbon Transition

Overview

Climate change is happening at an unprecedented rate due to excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activity. If GHG emissions are not mitigated, the planet is at risk of rising sea levels and species extinction.

Our School aims to facilitate effective climate strategies.听We focus on the economics of mitigation, adaptation and remediation, exploring the linkage among economic activities and the associated GHG emissions at global, national and city levels. Closely related to our work in sustainability in the built environment, our research analyses听the impact听of construction as well as other economic activities.听

Our research is expected to make contributions to the (SDG) for example, taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (SDG13), and the 麻豆传媒视频网站 Grand Challenges mission, for example,听Sustainable Cities.听

Research topics we cover听include:

Carbon emission accounting
Climate change integrated assessment model (IAM)
Emission-health-economy nexus听
Sharing economy
Low carbon transition of built environment
Remediation technologies including carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)

Grants and projects

The Royal Society: Uncertainty Analysis of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)

This project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the uncertainty in Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS). The CCUS technology is often mentioned as a key response option to mitigate GHG emissions. However, it is still in the developmental stage with large uncertainty, leading to an ambivalent attitude of the government and stakeholding enterprises. We simulate the uncertainty of CCUS using a climate change integrated assessment model (IAM) and analyse the role of CCUS under different development scenarios.

麻豆传媒视频网站-PKU Strategic Partner Funds: China's Carbon Emissions in the New Development Phase

This is a joint research project with , China. China鈥檚 carbon emission growth has slowed under its commitment to peaking carbon emissions before 2030. It is closely linked to the fact that China鈥檚 economic development has entered a stage named 鈥渢he New Normal鈥�, characterised by more inclusive and sustainable development patterns. We explore the driving factors of China鈥檚 carbon emissions from both production and consumption perspectives in the New Normal.听

Resources

L Tang, J Qu, Z Mi, X Bo, X Chang, L D Anadon, S Wang, X Xue, S Li, X Wang, X Zhao. . Nature Energy. 2019.听
Z Mi, D Coffman. . Nature Communications. 2019, 10, 1214.听
J Meng, H Yang, K Yi, J Liu, D Guan, Z Liu, Z Mi, D Coffman, X Wang, Q Zhong, T Huang, W Meng, S Tao. . One Earth. 2019, 1(1): 138-148.听
K Yi, J Meng, H Yang, C He, D K Henze, J Liu, D Guan, Z Liu, L Zhang, X Zhu. . Nature Communications. 2019, 10, 3281.
W Xie, W Xiong, J Pan, T Ali, Q Cui, D Guan, J Meng, ND Mueller, E Lin, SJ Davis. . Nature Plants. 2018, 4(11): 964鈥�973.听听
A Lockley, D Coffman. . Environmental Research Letters. 2018, 13: 054034.
Y Shan, D Guan, K Hubacek, B Zheng, SJ Davis, L Jia, J Liu, Z Liu, N Fromer, Z Mi, J Meng, X Deng, Y Li, J Lin, H Schroeder, H Weisz, HJ Schellnhuber. . Science Advances. 2018, 4 (6): eaaq0390.
D Guan, J Meng, DM Reiner, N Zhang, Y Shan, Z Mi, S Shao, Z Liu, Q Zhang, and SJ Davis. . Nature Geoscience. 2018, 11: 551鈥�555.
J Meng, Z Mi, D Guan, J Li, S Tao, Y Li, K Feng, J Liu, Z Liu, X Wang, Q Zhang, S Davis. . Nature Communications. 2018, 9: 1871.听
听Z Mi, J Meng, D Guan, Y Shan, M Song, YM Wei, Z Liu, K Hubacek. . Nature Communications. 2017, 8: 1712.
D Coffman, A Lockley. . Environmental Research Letters. 2017, 12: 015003.听
D Wiedenhofer, D Guan, Z Liu, J Meng, N Zhang, YM Wei. . Nature Climate Change. 2017, 7 (1), 75听

Team听

Zhifu Mi

is leading the School's research on Climate Change Economics. He has published over 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals, such as , (IF=54), , and . He is the Executive Editor of (IF=6.359). He currently leads the project on Uncertainty Analysis of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) funded by (IEC\NSFC\181115), and co-leads of the Finance & Economics Working Group for 鈥楾he Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change鈥�.

He was awarded the 2018 for his leading research in the methodological developments and applications of carbon footprint. He was also honoured on the 听list in recognition of his innovative research in the economics of climate change. His research was awarded the 2018 Top 50 Earth and Planetary Sciences Articles in , 2017 Best Early Career Articles in , and 2016 Highly Cited Original Papers in .听
听

D鈥橫aris Coffman

Prof听D鈥橫aris Coffman is a Professor in Economics and Finance and the Head of Department of BSCPM. Her interests span infrastructure, construction, real estate and climate change. She is the Managing Editor of (IF=1.557). Before coming to 麻豆传媒视频网站, she spent six years as a fellow of where she variously held a junior research fellowship (Mary Bateson Research Fellowship), a post as a college lecturer and teaching fellow, and a Leverhulme ECF. In July 2009, she started the Centre for Financial History, which she directed through December 2014. It is still going strong, but has moved from Newnham College to in line with the affiliation of its new director.听

She did her undergraduate training at the 听in managerial and financial economics and her PhD in the School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, her doctoral research in the UK was funded in part by the under the guise of an IHR pre-doctoral fellowship and an SSRC international dissertation fellowship.听
听

Jing Meng

Dr Jing Meng is a Lecturer in Economics and Finance at BSCPM. Her research focus is climate change and air pollution policies. Specifically, it includes theories and modelling of environmental economics, energy innovation and sustainable consumption and trade policies. Jing's recent research focuses on the impact of international trade on the distribution, climate and health impacts of black carbon. Jing received her PhD degree in Environmental Geography from , and holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Building Environment and Energy Engineering from . Jing is a guest editor of , and the editorial board member of and . She is also a fellow of Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance at .

She has published over 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals, such as , , , , and . Her research was awarded the 2018 Top 50 Earth and Planetary Sciences Articles in and 2017 Best Early Career Articles in .

Jiali Zheng

Jiali Zheng is an Honorary Research Assistant at BSCPM. She majors in management science in her PhD study on carbon emissions and sustainable transition in China, and obtained her BSc in Economics. Her research focuses on climate change economics. She has published more than ten papers on SCI/SSCI journals including and , two policy reports, and five co-authored books. She won the 2019 in the field of combatting climate change for her current achievements and promise for the future, the Aramco scholarship, the CSC-IBM scholarship and the National Scholarship of China.

Get in touch

The School's research on Climate Change Economics is led by Dr听Zhifu Mi. We recruit PhD students and accept Visiting Researchers with backgrounds in Economics, Management, Mathematics, or Environmental Science.听

Please contact Zhifu to find out more about collaboration opportunities:听z.mi@ucl.ac.uk

麻豆传媒视频网站