Economists & The Environment - Links, Groups & Journals

The Club of Rome

Most famous for their best selling report The Limits to Growth the Club of Rome describe themselves as:

"The Club of Rome is an organisation of individuals who share a common concern for the future of humanity and strive to make a difference. Our members are notable scientists, economists, businessmen, high level civil servants and former heads of state from around the world. Our mission is to promote understanding of the global challenges facing humanity and to propose solutions through scientific analysis, communication and advocacy."

Redefining Progress

The group that produced the 1997 Economists' Statement on Climate Change drafted by Kenneth Arrow, Stanford University; Dale Jorgenson, Harvard University; Paul Krugman, MIT; William Nordhaus, Yale University; and Robert Solow, MIT, and signed by Nobel Laureates.

Green Economics Institute

 One of the largest green research centres in the world and runs the Green Economics Conference at Oxford University.

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management

"The Journal of Environmental Economics and Management publishes theoretical and empirical papers devoted to specific natural resource and environmental issues"

Ecological Economics

The journal of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE)

Sustainability is Good for Business

Here are 3 studies and 3 books to get you excited about going green in the workplace. Ethical, environmental & sustainable choices are guaranteed to make workplaces more productive & successful. You can start to build up loyalty & goodwill among customers and employees while you help make the world a better place.

Study: Environmental standards and labor productivity: Understanding the mechanisms that sustain sustainability

"firms that have adopted environmental standards enjoy a one standard deviation higher labor productivity than firms that have not adopted such standards"

Nielsen Report: Doing Well By Doing Good

"average annual sales increase of 2 percent for products with sustainability claims on the packaging and a rise of 5 percent for products that promoted sustainability actions through marketing programs. A review of 14 other brands without sustainability claims or marketing shows a sales rise of only 1 percent" 

2015 Cone Communications/Ebiquity Global CSR Study

91% of global consumers expect companies to do more than make a profit, but also operate responsibly to address social and environmental issues
84% say they seek out responsible products whenever possible
90% would boycott a company if they learned of irresponsible or deceptive business practices

Whether you are a large or small business here are some inspiring examples of sustainable ideas and guides:

By Darcy Hitchcock, Marsha Willard
By Marc J. Epstein, Adriana Rejc Buhovac

Social Responsibility Handbooks

Corporate Social Responsibility An Implementation Guide for Business

"A study from the International Institute for Sustainable Development."

The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility

"Bringing together leading experts in the area, it provides clear thinking and new perspectives on CSR and the debates around it"

Sustainability Disclosure Database

A database of reporting from thousands of organisations worldwide on their sustainability and CSR practices

Handbook on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for Employers’ Organizations

An EU funded "Review of the current situation in partner countries (Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Turkey)"

The Insurance Industry & Climate Change

The insurance industry has long acknowledged the fact of climate change, because they have had to insure the results of it. The rise in natural disasters, as a result of man-made global warming, is clear and recognised. Here you can explore what insurance companies have done to face climate change.

First a podcast from the Centre for International Governance Innovation:

The Insurance Companies

Climate Change: Value at risk to investment and Aviva’s strategic response

Reports from Aviva on how they respond to the challenge of climate change 

"Over coming decades, climate change presents solvency issues to businesses in many different industries, including our own" Aviva

Swiss Re: Managing climate and natural disaster risk

Zurich based Swiss Re is the world's second-largest reinsurer

"Swiss Re understands the relationship between climate and natural disaster risk and how both affect our world" Swiss Re

AXA & Climate Change

France’s largest insurer has taken many steps including a 2015 commitment to divest of coal assets. 

"Over the past 50 years, the frequency of climate-related natural disasters was multiplied by more than 5 and the cost for the society was multiplied by more than 10" AXA

Climate Highlights from The Economist

Climate Change and Inequality

"The rich are disproportionate contributors to the carbon emissions that power climate change. It is cruel and perverse, therefore, that the costs of warming should be disproportionately borne by the poor" Keep Reading

Climate Change Mitigation Opportunities Index 2017

"a starting point for investors to identify in-country investment opportunities in climate change mitigation technology" Keep Reading

Hot & Bothered

The Economist's special report on climate change. Read it