Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy

 The £4.7M Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy was officially launched on 27 January 2009 and will be addressing the economic and policy challenges identified in the Stern review and the debate that followed.

Human-induced climate change is occurring and could impose enormous costs on economies and societies if we persist with 'business as usual'. This is the consensus view of climate scientists and is increasingly accepted by climate-change economists. It is much less certain, however, that our economic, social and political systems can respond to the challenge.

Its overarching aim is to advance climate-change policy by improving both the evidence base for decision-makers and the tools and implementation strategies available to them. To reach this objective, an innovative combination of qualitative and quantitative studies will be conducted by a highly interdisciplinary team.

Although the centre's work will be firmly grounded in theory and will seek to be methodologically innovative, for example by linking science and social science and by combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, its primary focus is on improving climate-change policy and on increasing the capacity of decision makers (both public and private) to respond to one of the most critical challenges facing the world today.

While the fact of climate change and its potential costs are increasingly accepted, the response from economic, social and political systems has been slow; there is a clear and urgent need to increase the pace of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to unavoidable climate change. The Centre's thematic objectives respond to this need. They are to:
•    Advance climate change policy and increase the capacity of decision-makers (both public and private) to respond to one of the most critical challenges facing the world today;
•    Support a 'new global deal' on climate change, both through a formal state agreement and through a wider set of policies and activities worldwide, by improving both the evidence base for decision-makers and the tools and implementation strategies available to them.

Rigorous and relevant research will be crucial in meeting these thematic objectives. Thus, the Centre's research objectives are to:
•    Undertake an ambitious, innovative and interdisciplinary programme of research, firmly grounded in theory but with practical applications, linking science and social science and combining quantitative and qualitative approaches;
•    Conduct research of the highest academic standard, subjecting it to internal and external review through seminars, briefings and publication.

In increasing the capacity of climate change decision-makers to respond to the challenge, the Centre places a great deal of importance of stakeholder engagement. Its stakeholder objectives are to:

Build an extensive network of links worldwide;
•    Hold 3 major conferences and 10 policy briefings and business roundtables to highlight the Centre's findings;
•    Establish a steering committee to allow strategic stakeholders to influence the Centre's research direction and create a stakeholder college to engage with programmes and projects;
•    Produce a range of outputs, many non-technical and all available freely and electronically,
•    Host an electronic discussion board or 'blog' to allow rapid reaction to the Centre's research and from the Centre to developments in policy, the private sector etc.;
•    Organise regular press and media briefings of key findings, using the LSE's established expertise.

Finally, the Centre's capacity-building objectives are to:
•    Improve the capacity of stakeholders to understand how physical and economic models of climate change can actually support decisions;
•    Bring in the expertise of researchers and social-scientific disciplines yet to make a significant contribution to climate change research;
•    Provide research training and career development opportunities for masters and PhD students, post doctoral fellows and young researchers.

These types of questions inform the work of the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy. Its mission is to advance public and private action on climate change through rigorous, innovative research.

http://www.cccep.ac.uk/

Living With Environmental Change partners involved:

• Funded by Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Interactions with other LWEC partners
• The LWEC Director sits on the Advisory Board