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Pricing carbon to mitigate climate change

Summary of the impact

This case study highlights the impact of LSE research on national and international carbon pricing policy. This includes a fundamental change in the way the UK government sets a carbon price for policy and project appraisal, and its approach to carbon trading in Europe. LSE work has also had impact beyond the UK, in particular on legislating — for the first time — policies to price carbon in strategically important countries across the world, including Australia, China, Mexico and South Korea.

Submitting Institution

London School of Economics & Political Science

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Economics: Economic Theory, Applied Economics

Carbon-calculating: the development of Scottish Windfarms

Summary of the impact

The Scottish Government is aiming to generate all of its electricity through renewable energy sources by 2020. Research by the University of Aberdeen has produced a freely available tool - the Windfarm Carbon Calculator - that has overhauled the planning process for windfarm developments in Scotland. In changing public policy and planning regulations, and informing the public debate, Aberdeen's calculator is helping the Government fulfil its pledge to become "the green energy powerhouse of Europe" while protecting some of the country's most environmentally fragile areas. It continues to guide the actions of politicians, planners, the wind industry, NGOs and community groups.

The claimed impact therefore is on: the environment, economy and commerce, public policies and services, practitioners and services.

Submitting Institution

University of Aberdeen

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Soil Sciences
Engineering: Environmental Engineering

Carbon Calculations over the Life Cycle of Industrial Activities (CCaLC)

Summary of the impact

Research in the UoA developed a methodology for Carbon Calculations over the Life Cycle of Industrial Activities (CCaLC), providing `cradle to grave' carbon footprint estimates for commercial products. The methodology was embedded in a set of software tools designed to be used by non- experts, allowing companies to perform carbon footprinting in-house. The software is free to download, currently with 3300 users in more than 70 countries. The methodology and software tools have been endorsed by BERR (now BIS), DEFRA and the World Bank, and used widely by industry, across a range of sectors, to reduce carbon footprints of their products. This has resulted in significant environmental and socio-economic benefits, including estimated climate change mitigation gains in excess of £450m.

Submitting Institution

University of Manchester

Unit of Assessment

Aeronautical, Mechanical, Chemical and Manufacturing Engineering

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Engineering: Environmental Engineering

Informing Climate Policy with Global Carbon Budgets

Summary of the impact

International and national political negotiations and public debates about climate change mitigation policies can only progress with accurate and timely updates about the global carbon budget. Annual carbon updates have been supplied over many years, as a result of our work. The "Global Carbon Project" (GCP) has become the definitive source on carbon budgets for political and policy processes dealing with climate change mitigation and the GCP draws heavily on the School's work on the ocean carbon cycle, including ocean iron fertilisation, and its relevance to the contemporary global carbon budget. This is evidenced by its citation and influence on national (e.g. UK, Germany, Australia, USA, Sweden and Canada) and international (e.g. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) deliberations.

Submitting Institution

University of East Anglia

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Chemical Sciences: Other Chemical Sciences
Earth Sciences: Atmospheric Sciences, Oceanography

FINANCING GLOBAL FORESTS THROUGH MONITORING, CERTIFICATION SCHEMES AND USER-NETWORKS

Summary of the impact

Impacts: I) Development of carbon credit certification schemes, including the expansion by the Gold Standard Foundation into land-use and forestry and the creation of the Natural Forest Standard by Ecometrica Ltd (both in 2012). II) Enhanced cross-sector collaboration for the quantification of forest-loss risks and implications for financing risks, through the 2011 creation of a Forest Finance Risk Network (FFRN).

Significance and reach: The Gold Standard Foundation represents nine forestry projects worldwide (benefiting >8,500 people) and over 1.8million ha. of Brazilian land is managed through two Natural Forest Standard projects. The FFRN connects 80 member organizations globally.

Underpinned by: Research into carbon emissions associated with forest-loss, undertaken at the University of Edinburgh (2005 onwards).

Submitting Institution

University of Edinburgh

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics
Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Forestry Sciences

UOA09-07: Cumulative carbon emissions targets for climate policy

Summary of the impact

Results from climate physics research at the University of Oxford have demonstrated that targets for cumulative carbon emissions, rather than greenhouse gas concentrations, are a more effective approach to limiting future climate change. This new approach and the resulting `trillionth tonne' concept have had substantial political and economic implications. Impacts since 2009 include (a) stimulus to policy developments; (b) influence on the business decisions of Shell e.g. to invest in a $1.35bn carbon capture and storage facility; and (c) significant public and media debate with a global reach.

Submitting Institution

University of Oxford

Unit of Assessment

Physics

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Earth Sciences: Oceanography
Biological Sciences: Ecology
Economics: Applied Economics

1. Providing the evidence to enable cities in the UK and internationally to adopt, target, finance and deliver economically viable low carbon development strategies

Summary of the impact

Our research on the economics of low carbon cities has impacted on energy and low carbon strategies and on investment decision-making in major UK cities including Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham. It has also influenced guidance issued to local authorities by the Committee on Climate Change and the Department for Communities and Local Government, and has helped to embed strategies and targets for green growth in the next five-year plan for China. The research was voted one of the most transformative ideas to be presented at the UN climate negotiations in Durban in December 2011, and the approach is now being replicated in cities in India, Peru, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Submitting Institution

University of Leeds

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Economics: Applied Economics

Design and development of carbon reduction management frameworks and tools

Summary of the impact

The research reported in this case study demonstrates that in order to achieve a carbon neutral future whole life building carbon footprinting should be undertaken by using Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) at all stages of design, construction and throughout the lifespan of buildings. Practical tools in this area are few, and the award winning research projects reported here address this need and have had impacts in the following areas; firstly, through their direct applications in building procurement and management, secondly through changes to national standards and specifications and thus professional practice, and thirdly through enhanced public awareness at local, national and international levels.

Submitting Institution

University of Lincoln

Unit of Assessment

Architecture, Built Environment and Planning

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Built Environment and Design: Building, Other Built Environment and Design
Economics: Applied Economics

Improving corporate carbon accounting and carbon management

Summary of the impact

Research conducted at the Business School's Centre for Business and Climate Change since 2008 has:

  • Shaped the emerging understanding and practice of carbon accounting and carbon performance measurement internationally;
  • Influenced the development of carbon indexes and benchmarks, and motivated their use by some of the world's largest index providers, investors and companies to measure and drive improvements in corporate carbon management; and
  • Helped governments, businesses and investors change the ways they allocate funds, supporting a shift towards lower-carbon alternatives.

This impact has been of international significance, reaching international standard setters, investors, corporations and other stakeholders. For example, 26 multinational companies paid to participate in carbon benchmarks conducted by a spin-out company created by the Centre and based on methods it developed. 90 global investors with US$7tr of assets have launched a shareholder action initiative inspired by the Centre's research. The world's leading carbon accounting standards body has adopted a conceptual framework developed by the Centre.

Submitting Institution

University of Edinburgh

Unit of Assessment

Business and Management Studies

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services: Accounting, Auditing and Accountability, Business and Management
Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration

Carbon and Methane exchanges in wetlands

Summary of the impact

Vincent Gauci and The Open University (OU) Ecosystems Research Group have demonstrated human influences over exchanges of carbon within vulnerable, temperate and tropical wetland ecosystems, which are the largest source of the powerful greenhouse gas methane to the atmosphere. The group's work showing that acid rain pollution suppresses methane emissions from wetlands has influenced policy in the UK, particularly peatland restoration, where the group has had direct interaction with users. The group's work on carbon balance resulting from deforestation, drainage and fires in the carbon-rich Bornean peat swamp has also informed IPCC methodologies for carbon balance calculations in its 2013 Wetlands Supplement.

Submitting Institution

Open University

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Earth Sciences: Geochemistry
Environmental Sciences: Soil Sciences
Biological Sciences: Other Biological Sciences

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