Workshop 1: Socio-technical transitions and the Green Finance Strategy
Tuesday 31 January 2023, 4-6pm
The Committee on Climate Change estimates that the UK needs to increase the levels of investment in Net Zero technologies from around £10-15bn a year currently to around £50-60bn a year by the late 2020s. This talk will explore the strategies that the UK government is using to harness private sector investment into the energy industry and other Net Zero technologies. It will explore the idea of a ‘socio-technical transformation’ of sectors of the economy, involving a reconfiguration of the existing structure of sectors to new models that require the participation of different actors and resources. The talk will then explore the evidence and methodologies that are used within government; and how to access opportunities to work in the UK civil service.
Speaker: Ben Fagan-Watson
Ben Fagan-Watson is the Head of the Green Finance team in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the UK government. He works in the broader Net Zero Strategy Directorate, which is responsible for keeping the UK on track with its climate change goals. Prior to this, Ben worked at the Policy Studies Institute at the University of Westminster where he carried out social research projects on topics including policy evaluation, reducing food waste, corporate lobbying on climate change, children’s travel around their neighbourhoods, and community resilience to heatwaves. He has also played a key role in running a policy evaluation research centre at the University of Surrey; was Head of Government Relations at a global NGO called CDP; and worked as a campaigner at ShareAction.
Workshop 2: Sustainability industry and report-writing skills
Tuesday 7 February 2023, 4-6pm
The sustainability industry relies heavily on instruments such as standards, certification schemes and rating tools, and many jobs will rely on implementing such standards. This talk examines standardisation through a critical lens and explores the types of roles available in the sustainability industry for graduates who do not have a background either in science or engineering. The workshop will also provide a general introduction to report-writing skills, for use in a research, policy or business context.
Speaker: Dr Jan Gerhards
Dr Jan Gerhards holds a PhD from the University of Westminster for a thesis entitled: ‘One Planet Living and the legitimacy of sustainability governance: From standardised information to regenerative systems’ (2021). Jan’s professional experience includes teaching, tutoring, research, and working in various analytical and digital roles in SMEs and start-ups. Since completing his PhD, Jan has been freelancing, including working on a research project on active travel at the University of Westminster together with Dr Greenwood.
Workshop 3: Responsible business conduct in renewable energy and climate mitigation investments - challenges and opportunities
Tuesday 14 March, 4-6pm
The responsibilities of businesses for the impacts of their operations on the environment, the economy, society and local communities and individuals have increased over the past two decades. At least in part, this development has been driven by growing awareness of, and advocacy concerned with, the unmitigated impacts of large-scale investment projects. This has led to a body of international ‘soft’ law comprising principles, guidelines and standards seeking to regulate corporate conduct. Much attention has been paid to the negative local impacts of investments in the extractive industries (oil, gas, mining) and infrastructure. With the global need to transition to renewable sources of energy and invest in climate mitigation, the question of how to conduct business responsibly now also concerns ‘green’ investments. This talk will focus on the challenges for businesses and the career opportunities in this field.
Speaker: Dr Evelyn Dietsche
Dr Evelyn Dietsche leads the Business & Peace programme of swisspeace, an affiliated institute of the University of Basel (Switzerland), on the back of two decades of corporate and advisory work experience, primarily in the energy and minerals sector and the international development sector. Her work has focused on country and corporate risk analyses and sustainability issues, including corporate social performance and responsible business conduct. She holds a PhD from the University of Dundee’s Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policies, as well as an MSc in Development Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and a postgraduate diploma in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of Konstanz.
Workshop 4: Europe’s energy markets
Tuesday 28 March, 4-6pm
The liberalisation of Europe’s energy markets was one of the major developments that followed the collapse of communism more than three decades ago, triggering a period of free trade and wealth creation. However, with Russia’s war in Ukraine, the transition to a greener economy and a trend towards deglobalisation as well as the ideological underpinnings of Europe’s electricity and gas markets are coming apart. The workshop will analyse the causes that are leading to this new pivotal shift and attempt to provide an outlook to Europe’s energy markets of the future.
Speaker: Dr Aura Sabadus
Bio: Dr Aura Sabadus is a senior journalist specialising in energy markets for ICIS and a research fellow of the Energy Community. For the last 13 years, Aura has focused on gas markets in Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Caspian region, taking a particular interest in market liberalisation as well as regulatory and political risk for the energy sector. Aura is frequently quoted in international media and contributes articles to international think tanks such as the Atlantic Council or the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). She holds a PhD in International Relations from King’s College London where she wrote a thesis on the liberalisation of the Turkish natural gas market.
All workshops will take place in Regent Campus, UG05. There's no need to register in advance for any of these events - if you're interested, just turn up.
For further information, please contact Climate and Energy Policy Lab Academic Coordinator, Dr Wojciech Ostrowski ([email protected]).
Ben Fagan-Watson (speaker at workshop one)
Dr Jan Gerhards (speaker at workshop two)
Dr Evelyn Dietsche (speaker at workshop three)
