Prof. Michael Jacobs

Michael Jacobs has been a visiting researcher at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment since July 2010, and was appointed Visiting Professor in January 2011.

He is a consultant on climate change and energy policy, and a writer, academic and commentator on social democratic thought and British politics.

Background

Michael was Special Adviser to UK Prime Minister (and previously Chancellor of the Exchequer) Gordon Brown from 2004-10, with responsibility for energy, climate change and environment policy. As a member of the Council of Economic Advisers at the Treasury he helped originate ‘The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change’ and oversaw environmental tax and spending policy, alongside policy on health, public service reform and the third sector. At 10 Downing St he helped direct the changes to UK domestic energy and climate policy after 2007, and was closely involved in the international climate negotiations leading up to and at Copenhagen.

Michael has also been General Secretary of the think tank and political association the Fabian Society, an ESRC Research Fellow at Lancaster University and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and Managing Director of a public and voluntary sector consultancy business.

He is the author of a number of books, reports and academic papers on environmental economics and philosophy, politics and public policy.

Research interests

• International climate change negotiations and international relations;
• Public and private climate finance;
• UK and EU energy policy;
• Environmental taxation and emissions trading policy;
• The role of social enterprises in energy production and consumption;
• The politics of climate change.