Skip to content

 School of Geography and the Environment

Doctoral Student: Adam Bumpus

Adam Bumpus

Position:

Completed Dphil Student - Completed June 2009

Contact:

e: adam.bumpus@ouce.ox.ac.uk

Title:

Carbon Development: a political ecology analysis of carbon offset projects for local development and global climate benefits.


I'm currently looking at the functioning of carbon markets in relation to carbon offsets and the development potential they may hold. My work is internationally focused and has a specific interest in the multi-scalar linkages between networks of actors involved in carbon offsets.

Using a political ecology approach - incorporating analyses of human agency, material effects, discourse and political economy - I am analysing the implementation and functioning of carbon offsets projects in Honduras. Particularly, I am comparing a project from the compliance (clean development mechanism) and voluntary (retail carbon offsets) sectors to understand how local actors in developing countries are differentially linked through space and time to carbon consumers in the north through these mechanisms.

Theoretically this work builds upon the literature of 'neoliberal natures', project-level carbon accounting and global value chain analysis. Empirically the project is based on extensive field work in Honduras, working with local actors and implementing agencies.

This DPhil aims to provide a better understanding of how and why carbon offsets are implemented, and how certain project mechanisms may be able to improve the 'sustainable development' component that is used in the promotion of small scale 'community development' projects.

The impacts of climate change will fall disproportionately on the poor in developing countries. At present mitigation efforts promoted in the Kyoto Protocol (KP) will only result in about a 1% reduction in global emissions. An 80% reduction is needed to be reasonably effective in mitigating climate change. In light of this disparity between carbon reduction achievements and real targets, 'development as adaptation' needs to be improved to provide better livelihood security for the poor. It is the possibility that carbon finance (for mitigation) may be an option for channelling capital into genuinely appropriate development (for adaptation) that this DPhil is analysing.

Adam completed a BSc (hons) in Ecology at the University of East Anglia and University of British Columbia (Canada) in 2001, and gained a Master of Arts in Environment, Politics and Globalisation at King's College London in 2004. He has also spent three years working in London on media and communications on climate change, including some time as a consultant to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn, and attending numerous international conferences to promote awareness raising and solutions to the issue.

In addition to his DPhil Adam is the director of The Climate Consultancy, and freelance writes for organisations including Environmental Finance, Carbon Finance and public relations agencies on issues of climate change and sustainable development

Publications

Peer reviewed articles

  • Bumpus A., Liverman D, (2008) Accumulation by decarbonisation and the governance of carbon offsets. Economic Geography, 84(2), 127-55.
  • Bumpus. A. G. (forthcoming). The matter of carbon: understanding the materiality of carbon reductions in offsets.
  • Bumpus, A. G. (forthcoming). Governing uneven development in carbon offsets in Honduras.

Non-peer reviewed articles:

  • Bumpus, A. G. (2008). Carbon Offsets. Geography Review, 21(4), 24-25.
  • Boyd, E. Hultman., N. E., Roberts, T. Corbera, E., Ebeling, J., Liverman D. M., Brown, K., Tippmann, R., Cole, J., Mann, P., Kaiser, M., Robbins, M., Bumpus, A. G., Shaw, A., Ferreira, E., Bozmoski, A., Villiers C., and Avis. J. (2007) The Clean Development Mechanism: An assessment of current practice and future approaches for policy. Tyndall Centre Working Paper 114, October 2007.

Commissioned freelance articles:

  • Bumpus, A. G. (2005). CDM - could do more? Environmental Finance, S24 - S26.
  • Bumpus, A. G. (2006). What Montreal did for the CDM. Carbon Finance, 14 - 15.
  • Bumpus, A. G. (2006). Clean compliance? Environmental Finance, S15-17.

Previous unpublished academic articles:

  • Bumpus, A. G. (2004). CPR for Climate Change? Understanding the effective recipiency of a carbon sequestration project as a common pool or privately owned resource in highland Ecuador. Unpublished MA Dissertation, Kings College, London, UK. (Distinction)
  • Bumpus, A. G. (2001). The Drugs to South Africa Affair: understanding corporate social responsibility and diversionary tactics in the pharmaceutical industry. Unpublished Extended Essay, Environmental Politics and Management, University of East Anglia, UK. (First Class, now used as example to current students).
  • Bumpus, A. G. (2001). Dancing as an adaptive mating tactic in humans: inter-sexual differences and intra-sexual competition. Unpublished BSc Ecology Dissertation, University of East Anglia, UK. (First Class)

Academic presentations:

  • The political ecology of development in carbon offsets: Governing (uneven) development in Honduras. Presented at the Association of American Geographers, Governing Climate Change Session 1: new politics, new discourses, new geographies. 17 April 2008.
  • Carbon Offsets: Climate, Development, Discussion. Invited speaker, Oxford Policy Management monthly seminar. May 1 2008.
  • Governing (uneven) development in carbon offsets. Environment and Development Seminar Series, Invited speaker, School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia. 5 March 2008.
  • Voluntary carbon offsets: recent research at the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford. Presentation in conjunction with Dr Heather Lovell at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), COP13/MOP3 meeting, Bali, Indonesia, December 2007.
  • Carbon Accounting for Offsetting. Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Annual Assembly. September 5th 2007.
  • Commodifying Carbon and Ethics Workshop: invited panelist alongside Prof. Steve Rayner for carbon markets session. 16 July, 2007.
  • The governance of carbon offsets: Nature, Neoliberalism and New Actors. Presented at the Association of American Geographers, Theorising the Carbon Economy Session 2. 20 April, 2007.
  • The political ecology of carbon offsets: neoliberal interpretations of the compliance and voluntary markets. Presented at the Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers, Planning and Environmental Research Group: The governance of transnational environmental harm, 30 August, 2006.
  • Carbon offsets. Presented at the Climate Change Research Group of the RGS/IBG, Oxford. January 2006. Workshops organized:
  • Organized “Theorizing the Carbon Economy Workshop” in conjunction with Prof Diana Liverman. Oxford. Wednesday, 20 September, 2006. Other speaking opportunities:
  • Carbon development: compliance and voluntary carbon offsets in Honduras. Invited presentation at the World Bank, Carbon Finance team. 22 April, 2008.
  • Carbon-development: what do we want? Invited speaker at Climate Care presentation, Labour Party Annual Conference, Birmingham, February 29 2008.
  • Can elks trade carbon? Buying our way out of climate change through emissions trading and carbon offsets? Invited speaker, British Council, Café Scientifique, Oslo, Norway. 27 September 2007.
  • The Carbon Connection: offsets, people and places. Invited speaker for ClimateX programme (UK government-funded), Headington School, 26 September 2007.
  • Acclimatizing to Climate Change. Invited speaker for Linacre College Contribution to Oxford Alumni Event. 15 September 2007.
  • Space, climate, and geography for the environment. Invited speaker for Independent Schools Annual Conference, 19 June 2007.
  • Carbon offsets in Honduras. Invited speaker by Oxfam GB for workshop on carbon offsets. 1 June 2007.