Commentaries present the personal reflections of authors in response to news stories, policy developments or newly published research. These articles may contain original analysis or summarise findings from other referenced sources. Commentaries are written by staff from the Institute as well as by external experts. The opinions expressed in commentaries do not necessarily reflect those of the Grantham Research Institute.
Learning lessons from the devastating flooding in Western Europe and China – and raising awareness of the importance of flood risk reduction activities and the long-term consequences of inaction – should be seen as a necessary investment in our future, write Swenja Surminski and Viktor Rözer, as they draw out particular lessons for Germany. Read more
The UK, and the Government in particular, is not doing enough to address the mounting risks posed by heatwaves, causing many unnecessary deaths, argues Bob Ward. Read more
Jasmine Tillu explains how China’s new ‘Leading Small Group’ can accelerate China’s environmental and economic goals by focusing on cities and working to peak carbon emissions by 2025 instead of 2030. Read more
Business decisions taken today will impact both the ability to transition to net-zero and the ability to cope with the physical risks from climate change, writes Swenja Surminski, a lead author on the Third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment being launched today. Read more
Nick Robins explains why the real test for the just transition to net zero will be in the global south. Read more
Paul Cheshire and Christian Hilber propose ‘green offsets’ to reduce property taxes in a way that is strictly scaled to energy efficiency, as a simple intervention to address the UK’s urgent need to reduce its residential carbon emissions. Read more
This commentary presents the international investment law scenario in which climate-related ‘Investor-State Dispute Settlement’, or ISDS, cases are emerging, identifies the main types of ISDS cases, and considers some reasons why ISDS is relevant for climate litigation and climate policies. Read more
Bob Ward renews his call to the Government for a National Heat Risk Strategy. Read more
Bob Wards highlights errors in a recent article by Steve Baker MP that claims “the poorest will pay the highest price for Net Zero fantasies”, part of an apparent ramp-up in the misinformation campaign by British climate change deniers. Read more
Following a new landmark report from the IEA which says the global energy system reaching net-zero by 2050 means no new supplies of fossil fuels, Bob Ward assesses the implications for the UK’s oil and gas industry. Read more
