About

Alina Averchenkova is a Distinguished Policy Fellow and Lead for Governance and Legislation at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics. She leads Governance and Legislation research and engagement with policy and decision makers on these issues worldwide. Alina is also a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Elcano Royal Institute in Madrid, Spain.

With extensive experience on climate change and international development, Alina’s current work focuses on climate change governance and legislation around the world and capacity building and advisory to governments, parliaments, and international organisations on these issues.

Alina is a founding member of the Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies (KNOCA); a trustee of the Legal Response International and a member of Expert Advisory boards to the Carbon Neutrality Coalition and Green Deal Net and Idea International.

Background

Prior to the Grantham Institute in 2013, Alina was Global Director for Climate Change and Carbon at KPMG. Prior to KPMG, Alina has worked for a carbon-asset manager, First Climate, in Zurich, focusing on policies related to carbon markets. Before that, as a Programme Officer at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change based in Bonn, she supported international negotiations on post-2012 climate change regime. Her professional experience also includes work for the Environmental Defence Fund in Washington, DC, focusing on climate policy in economies in transition; for Metroeconomica Ltd on resource abundance and economic growth, and for the Bureau of Economic Analysis, on climate policy in Russia.

Alina has extensive experience in providing advisory and capacity building services to governments, UN organisations and private sector, and in facilitating inter-ministerial and multi-stakeholder dialogues on climate change.

Alina holds a BSc in Geography from Moscow State University, and an MSc and a PhD in Economics and International Development from the University of Bath, focused on factors of effectiveness of international climate change regime.

Research interests

  • Design and assessment of national climate governance systems
  • Credibility of international commitments and their implementation
  • Design and impact of climate change legislation
  • The role of expertise and independent advisory bodies
  • Public participation and citizens assemblies on climate change
  • Relationship between democratic institutions and climate action
  • Governance of climate finance.

Research

Research - 2022

his article assesses GCF’s commitment to the local delivery of adaptation finance and identifies the key barriers to GCF’s achievement of this commitment. The analysis finds that although GCF’s policies and communications fully commit to funding local level adaptation, three key barriers still prevent it from delivering finance to the local level. Read more

Research - 2021

Research - 2020

Research - 2018

Research - 2016

Research - 2015

Research - 2014

Research - 2009

Policy

Policy - 2024

Policy - 2023

This guide covers the case for climate leadership by Ministries of Finance, a framework for mainstreaming climate into their core functions and capabilities, and priorities for action. It is aimed primarily at Ministries of Finance but is designed to be useful to anyone seeking to better understand the role of these ministries in driving climate action. Read more

Policy - 2022

Policy - 2021

Climate change framework laws are needed for the successful implementation of the Paris Agreement. This policy insight examines the elements that can be ‘built in’ to framework laws to specify accountability for the implementation of the core obligations contained within, based on a review of 43 such laws from the Climate Change Laws of the World database. Read more

Climate Change Laws of the World

Policy - 2020

Policy - 2019

Policy - 2018

Policy - 2017

Policy - 2016

Policy - 2015

This paper analyses the credibility of national climate pledges (INDCs). It starts by fleshing out the key determinants of credibility in relation to action on climate change. It then outlines a framework to assess the credibility of a country’s INDC pledges based on these determinants. This framework is used to provide an initial assessment of the credibility of INDCs provided by G20 countries. Read more

Policy - 2014

Policy - 2012

Policy - 2010

Books

Books - 2022

Books - 2018

Events

Events - 2024

Events - 2023

Events - 2022

Events - 2021

Events - 2020

Events - 2019

Events - 2018

Events - 2017

Events - 2016

Events - 2015

Events - 2014

News

News - 2022

News - 2021

News - 2020

News - 2019

News - 2017

News - 2015

Keep in touch with the Grantham Research Institute at LSE
Sign up to our newsletters and get the latest analysis, research, commentary and details of upcoming events.