Leo Mercer

A response to an open consultation by the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), on land use in England to support design of a future Land Use Framework for England. Read more

This is a response to an open consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system. Read more

This report examines the cost of MRV for different CDR methods, the extent to which the cost of MRV for different methods is perceived as a barrier to their upscaling, where opportunities lie to reduce the cost and what factors influence the choice of protocol. Read more

This report consists of a response to a consultation on integrating greenhouse gas removals into the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. Read more

This briefing, produced with the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP), highlights that rapid growth in renewables means more than 40% of the UK’s electricity is now generated this way. The briefing goes on to explain that reaching net zero by 2050 will require a massive uptake of electric vehicles, heat pumps and efficiency upgrades in homes alongside an even faster rapid scale-up of clean power. Read more

This year’s General Election in the UK takes place against a backdrop of worsening climate change impacts at home and... Read more

The State of CDR reports are intended to regularly inform researchers, policymakers and practitioners on the state of progress, by systematically collecting and analysing the vast amount of data and developments in many parts of the world. Read more

This report aims to inform government criteria for assessing UK ETS expansion to cover the domestic heating and road transport sectors, including practicality, suitability and distributional impacts across different income groups. Read more

This report synthesises the current policy, technical considerations and debate pertaining to rewilding in the UK, with a focus on what contribution, if any, rewilded land can make to supporting the decarbonisation of land use. Read more

This is a response made on behalf of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment to the... Read more

This report seeks to identify the factors underpinning the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas removal (GGR) across the spectrum of biological, chemical and geochemical techniques, and the risks associated with GGR-specific MRV. Read more

This report provides a detailed characterisation of low-carbon jobs from the last decade in the United States and the United Kingdom, bringing new evidence to support policy discussions. Read more

Today marks the launch of a new interactive visualisation of the landscape for monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon dioxide removal methods, a joint project between the Grantham Research Institute and AlliedOffsets. Read more

In this blog post Leo Mercer writes about his experience of bringing his expertise on rewilding to a panel event with the Conservative Environment Network, and outlines the challenges of changing policy through evidence-based research.  Read more

This article considers what impact the election of a Labour government will have on the UK’s renewable energy sector. The... Read more

This article reports on how energy policy has featured during the UK General Election campaign and in particular discussions around... Read more

This article considers the apparent slowing down of UK efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and considers whether the next government will do anything to address this. Read more

This article reports on the launch of the Labour Party manifesto for the 2024 General Election and includes reactions from... Read more

The article reports on the climate related aspects of the Conservative Party manifesto for the July 2024 UK General Election.... Read more

Against the backdrop of the UK General Election campaign, this article discusses the need for political leaders to improve investor... Read more

This article reports on a study by the Grantham Research Institute at LSE which explores the potential for extending the UK’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to heating and transport fuels. The article includes quotes from report co-author Josh Burke. Read more

This magazine article assesses the likely impact of the forthcoming general election on the UK’s green policies. Read more

This segment Radio New Zealand considers the impact of elections across the world in 2024 on climate policy. The piece... Read more

Leo Mercer discusses whether current policies and subsidies within the food system are fit for purpose to support a just transition to more sustainable production. Read more

This news article reports on the UK’s decision to withdraw from an international treaty that enabled fossil-fuel companies to sue... Read more

In this commentary, Leo Mercer asks what would it take for rewilding to play a bigger role in climate change action in the UK. Read more

BBC, 11 October 2023 Read more

ESG Investor, 23 July 2023 Read more

This article which reports on how an apparent shortage of green skills in the workforce may undermind climate targets. The... Read more

This commentary, originally published in Business Green, explores the crucial role of monitoring, reporting and verification for greenhouse gas removals. Read more

This commentary explores how net climate change mitigation benefits can be achieved from using carbon credits, despite the variable and uncertain quality of credits. Read more

The article focus on Jacinda Ardern’s impact on climate. Leo Mercer is quoted in the piece. Inside Climate News, 29... Read more

A rumoured plan from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to dramatically restrict solar panels on farmland in the UK will not help food security – which is threatened far more by climate change – let alone energy security, and is at odds with the Government’s Net Zero Strategy. The UK should be seeking to invest and innovate in ‘Agri-PV’ schemes instead, writes Leo Mercer. Read more