Working Papers from Oxford looking strategically at how we address the climate emergency using the power of markets, the law and democracy; acting with urgency, purpose and pragmatism.

“Never must we despair, never must we give in, but we must face facts and draw true conclusions from them.” — Churchill, 1935

This paper explores the parallels between the growing crisis in Europe in the 1930s and the huge challenge faced by humanity today.

In the 1930s, the British Government pursued a disastrous set of policies that were intended to avoid war, but actually made it inevitable.The British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, championed that approach and has come to be remembered as the man who promised peace for our time at the Munich Conference of 1938.

From the political wilderness, Winston Churchill asked the British people - and everyone around the world - to look at the facts and to act with courage and determination. Once he had replaced Chamberlain as Prime Minister he led the free world to safety.

During the long summer of 1940 Britain stood alone and just - only just - managed to hold off a Nazi invasion. It was the narrowest of margins but enough to save the world. There was nothing inevitable about it and looking back now it is easy to see how close the world came to disaster.

Without the incredible efforts, creativity and persistence of thousands of people — many volunteers — Britain would not have had the air defence system that came together in the summer of 1940. It was the combination of leadership and individual and collective effort that got the job done.

Now, Britain hosts the Glasgow Climate Conference in November 2021. Our leaders must rise to the example of previous generations: face the facts, and act boldly and strategically.

Beyond Glasgow, we must all "dig on for victory," making whatever sacrifices are needed over the coming decade so that we can slow down global heating. We must buy time for our own children and grandchildren, just as our parents and grandparents did for us.

We can do this — but only if we face the facts and act now. That is what Churchill would have asked of us.

COP26/Munich Conference working paper published by the Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford 21.10.21.

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Harnessing enterprise and trade to decarbonise the global economy

How can the UK use her large trade imbalances to incentivise other countries to reduce their GHG emissions? The answer is a Border Carbon Adjustment, a tax on the GHG emissions of products imported into the UK. This idea is being implemented by the EU and has also been proposed by Republican leaders in the US.

Carbon Club working paper published by the Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford 02.01.22.

Climate migration: igniting the debate

Mass migration is an inevitable consequence of the climate emergency. But, unlike the climate emergency itself, Immigration is a topic that people regard as urgent as well as important. Why do we fear talking about this when it could catalyse political action? This paper explores the taboo issue and offers a simple call to action: help secure vulnerable homelands by focusing the UK’s overseas aid and international climate finance budgets on agricultural development. Nothing will do more for climate mitigation and adaptation, while providing food security and the basic building blocks of all the Sustainable Development Goals.

Climate migration working paper published by the Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford 12.09.22.