A global gathering of PhD researchers assembled in Lancaster to engage in discussion and debate around key issues of climate change.

The annual Department of Economics Lancaster Summer School welcomed close to 30 researchers from the UK, Europe, the USA and India to address The Economics of Climate Change and Energy Transition.

Two academic leaders in the field – Professor Stefan Ambec, from the Toulouse School of Economics (TSE); and Professor Valeria Costantini, of Roma Tre University – shared their expertise through a series of lectures over the course of three days.

Dr Aurelie Slechten, from Lancaster University Management School, who co-organised the event with colleague Dr David Rietzke, said: “For three days, we have seen PhD researchers engage intensely with topics which will be key to economic and general discussions for years to come.

“We want to thank both Professor Ambec and Professor Constantini for providing such wonderful insights across the three days of the conference. Their lectures provided us all with much to think about, and I know the participants took a lot from them.

“We also want to give our thanks to Caren Wareing for the tremendous administrative support she provided in running the summer school. We could not have done it without her.”

PhD and Master’s students from Lancaster, Manchester, Liverpool, Loughborough, and Huddersfield Universities were joined by colleagues from Germany (Leipzig; DIW Berlin; Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; University of Hamburg), France (Uiversite Savoie Mont-Blanc), Spain (Universidad Publica de Navarra), Switzerland (University of Geneva), and Italy (Università degli Studi Internazionali di Roma), among others, for the event.

In addition to the academic participants, the Summer School also welcomed a representative from the Indo-Pacific Regional Department of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, enriching the diversity of perspectives and professional backgrounds.

Professor Ambec, who leads the TSE Energy and Climate Center, focused his lectures on public policies in electricity markets for the low-carbon transition. His research focuses on the impacts of environmental policies: their efficiency, fairness properties, their effect on firms’ strategies, on the welfare of citizens, and their behaviour.

Professor Costantini, who is also the President and a Council Member of the Italian Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, explored the challenges of transitioning to sustainable development; climate change’s intersection with socioeconomic factors, migration, and inequality; and policy responses ranging from international agreements to the EU’s green energy initiatives and carbon adjustment mechanisms.

The summer school received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, through the Northwest Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership, and Lancaster University Management School. It was also supported by the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.