Copyright Nasir Hadim
ECI at Copenhagen's UNFCCC climate negotiations 2009
Much of the research carried out by ECI links into some aspect of the climate change debate. The interdisciplinary nature of climate change means that ECI is well placed to offer expertise relating to the science, adaptation, impacts, policy and communication of climate change from many different disciplinary perspectives. A selection of relevant research is highlighted below. For details of our full research activities see our climate pages | Keep up to date with the news from Copenhage by reading the ECI's blog, Geoff Lye's SustainAbility blog and Adam Bumpus' CSSI blog.
Full details of the two Oxford University side events.
Recent climate outputs
- A large selection of climate outputs from across Oxford University can be viewed on the USB sticks available at the Oxford University stand in Copenhagen. For those not attending, view the outputs here.
- ECI Advises Ghost Forest exhibition, Copenhagen 7-18 Dec
- Dr Mark New and Prof Diana Liverman contribute to Nature Reports : "Mind the gap: Policymakers must aim to avoid a 2C temperature rise, but plan to adapt to 4C"
- Climate Change Careers - a profile of Prof Yadvinder Malhi in New Scientist, 18 November 2009
Research Projects
Forest governance and climate change
- Forest governance: actors, institutions and decision making
The ECI Forest Governance Group seeks to strengthen our understanding of how state and non-state institutions and actors shape decisions about the conservation and use of forest resources around the world. This research encompasses a wide diversity of governance institutions and networks, from intergovernmental processes, to government agencies, to forest and carbon certification schemes, to community-based and indigenous forest user groups.
- Understanding ecosystem dynamics and functioning in a changing environment
The ECI Ecosystem Dynamics Programme seeks to seeks to better understand what makes contemporary ecosystems; how they may be affected by direct human pressures and global atmospheric change; and how this scientific understanding can help to inform decision making around forest governance.
Climate adaptation
- The role of Non-Nation-State Actors (NNSAs) in the UNFCCC negotiations
This research project, carried COP negotiations past and present looks to understand this emergent role of NNSAs in the climate negotiations. Through this research, we want to document how NNSAs are "more effective, efficient and faster" than nation-states in addressing climate change and how/if they are developing agency in the international climate policy arena.
- Food systems and security in a changing climate
ongoing - 2011
A look at how climate change affects the vulnerability of food systems and food security and how institutional and policy issues need to be addressed in order to create an enabling environment for the sustainable adaptation of food systems.
- National and regional adaptation plans: the UK Climate Impacts Programme
1997 - 2010
UKCIP is a pioneering adaptation initiative funded by the UK Government to provide the public, private and voluntary sectors as well as the scientific community with a range of tools and datasets which support climate impact assessment and adaptation planning.
- Biodiversity adaptation under new climate scenarios
The ECI's Biodiversity and Climate Change Group is a leading centre for modelling and understanding the responses of biodiversity to changing climates.
Mitigation: striving for a low carbon future
- Lower Carbon Futures Research Team
ongoing
The ECI's LCF team carries out a range of projects on the linkages between consumer behaviour, new technologies, policy formulation and the markets in the move towards a low carbon future.
Developing country responses
- Climate governance in an socio-economic transformation: The Chinese perspective
The China Environment and Energy Programme supports systematic, interdisciplinary study of China’s major environmental and energy issues, examining the evolution and effectiveness of China’s environmental and energy governance during a period of rapid socio-economic transformation.
- Moving to a Low-carbon Economy in China under Different Economic Circumstances
2009 - 2011
A research project aiming to help the Chinese government to understand its capacity to address climate change by scaling up work at the city level. The project researchers will study how differences in capabilities to respond to climate change at the city level are associated with differences in city size and level of economic development, and how to balance economic development and carbon reduction.
- Climate politics and climate justice in India
ECI Research Fellow Kamal Kapadia is researching climate politics in India from a social sciences perspective. Read more about Kamal's research.