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| New research centre to drive forward policy on climate changeA research centre to analyse how society should respond to the challenge of climate change is being established by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the University of Leeds. The Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy will bring together experts from several fields to examine how our political and economic systems may adapt to climate change and what could acceptably and efficiently be done to limit emissions. Funded by a grant of more than £5 million over five years from the Economic and Social Research Council, the centre is the first of its kind in the UK and is a partnership between Leeds University and LSE. The centre will be led by Lord Stern of Brentford and managed by Professor Andy Gouldson and Professor Judith Rees. Its research will have four main strands: • Developing better physical and economic models of climate change Professor Stern said: 'As the scientists continue to play their role in analysing the causes and effects of climate change, it is crucial that social scientists take a lead in the building of policy. The aim of the Centre for Climate Change and Economics Policy is to advance climate-change policy by improving both the evidence and the tools available to decision-makers. The centre format is crucial to our ability to do this in a flexible and timely way'. Professor Gouldson, Director of the Sustainability Research Institute at the University of Leeds, said: ‘Climate change policy is at a critical point. Internationally, there are intense discussions about what happens when the Kyoto protocol ends in 2012 - should Europe take the lead, or should it only act if countries like the US, India and China also commit to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions? And once commitments have been made, what policies are needed to deliver rapid reductions in emissions and to enable vulnerable countries and communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change?'. Professor Rees said: 'The centre will bring together experts from many different disciplines to improve our thinking on climate-change. We will ask questions about how much we should invest to protect the vulnerable from climate change, about who should pay and who should enjoy the benefits of this investment and about whether society is able to change its policies and behaviours to create low-carbon economies'. The new centre will establish links with policy-makers and experts across the world to share its work and will establish a steering committee to allow them to influence the direction of its research. It will holds regular conferences and briefings to highlight its findings, publish research freely online and set up an internet forum to allow rapid reaction to and discussion of its work. Notes to editors 1. Lord Stern of Brentford is IG Patel Chair at LSE and former Chief Economist of the World Bank. As the Government’s adviser on the economics of climate change and development he published the Stern Review in October 2006. 2. Judith Rees is Professor of Environmental and Resources Management at LSE. Her research focuses on the governance of environmental resources and risk, including institutional design, public-private partnerships regulation and use of market mechanisms, with specific interest in the water sector. 3. The LSE studies the social sciences in their broadest sense, with an academic profile spanning a wide range of disciplines, from economics, politics and law, to sociology, information systems and accounting and finance. The School has an outstanding reputation for academic excellence and is one of the most international universities in the world. Its study of social, economic and political problems focuses on the different perspectives and experiences of most countries. From its foundation LSE has aimed to be a laboratory of the social sciences, a place where ideas are developed, analysed, evaluated and disseminated around the globe. 4. Professor Andy Gouldson's research focuses on the design, delivery and impact of environmental policy and on business, the environment and corporate responsibility around the world. 5. The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK with more than 30,000 students from 130 countries. With a total annual income of £422m, Leeds is one of the top ten research universities in the UK, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. It was placed 80th in the 2007 Times Higher Educational Supplement's world universities league table and the University's vision is to secure a place among the world's top 50 by 2015.
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