Shaping the global response to climate change

Since its foundation in 2008, LSE’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment’s interdisciplinary and innovative work has been crucial to deepen our understanding of climate change and design legislative and economic responses to build a more sustainable world.

The Institute’s impact-oriented research has influenced national and global action on climate change, and demonstrated how climate policy can promote sustainable economic growth.

Through multiple research strands and a diversity of analytical perspectives, the Institute is guiding global efforts to act against climate change, and shaping policy across the world.

Sustainable growth

Research on the economic impacts of climate action and the opportunities of sustainable growth is central to the Institute’s work. Our academics have developed a rigorous analytical framework to demonstrate that good climate policy does not entail economic harm. Their research has helped governments, businesses and the wider society to make better-informed decisions on how to achieve economic prosperity and development, while also acting against climate change.

Professor Lord Stern, Chair of the Institute, has used his global leadership roles to communicate the benefits of sustainable growth, for example through the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. Institutions such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development the World Bank, and the European Commission also make extensive use of the Institute’s research on sustainable growth.

Climate adaptation

The effects of climate change are already proving to be devastating for people and for our planet. The Institute produces cutting-edge research on climate adaptation and climate risk management, finding solutions to improve the resilience of countries, companies and society to climate change.

Our researchers have contributed to the new IPCC report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability which will help to advise governments, businesses and communities and inform global thinking. The report shows us that we must act now to reduce emissions and prepare for current and future climate risks.

Climate finance

International commitments to climate finance are key to reach global agreements against climate change. The Institute’s work highlights the importance of sustainable infrastructure investment and explores new mechanisms for multilateral development banks to scale up low-carbon finance.

The Institute’s guidance has been taken up by several financial institutions, particularly multilevel development banks, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and New Development Bank.

In efforts to provide new services that promote ethical investing worldwide, the Institute launched the Transition Pathway Initiative in 2017. Led by asset owners and supported by asset managers, this global initiative evaluates companies’ preparedness for the transition to a low-carbon economy, and has become the leading corporate climate action benchmark.

Climate legislation

Grantham Institute researchers are also assessing the global momentum in national climate action, tracking and analysing country-by-country climate legislation and policies. To this end, they created the Climate Change Laws of the World project – an open-access database of information about climate change laws and executive acts in 196 countries, and climate court cases in 35 countries.

This resource is particularly useful to policymakers implementing their countries’ ‘nationally determined contributions’ to the Paris Agreement, and is helping researchers in the field, as well as policymakers globally, as they draft national climate-related legislation.

The Institute ‘s ongoing work continues to provide the research and analysis we need to achieve an inclusive and sustainable growth, improve living standards, reduce poverty and protect the environment for future generations.