The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment is a research centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science founded in May 2008.[1] The centre is a partner of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College and acts as an umbrella body for LSE's overall research contributions to the field of climate change and its impact on the environment. Furthermore, the institute oversees the activities of the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP),[2] a partnership between LSE and the University of Leeds.
Both Grantham research centres are sponsored through the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, established by Hannelore and Jeremy Grantham in 1997.[3] The combined investments totalling approximately £24 million is recognised as one of the largest private contributions to climate change research. CCCEP is funded independently by the ESRC.
The institute is currently chaired by Lord Nicholas Stern of Brentford, former Chief Economist of the World Bank and author of the widely-known Stern Review.[4]
The purpose of the Institute is to increase knowledge and understanding on climate change and the environment; promote better informed decision-making; and educate and train new generations of researchers through its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
The institute's main research activities are divided into five different areas:
1. Global response strategies2. Green growth3. Practical aspects of climate policy4. Adaptation and development5. Resource securityThe research of the institute is characterised by its interdisciplinary nature and brings together international expertise on economics, finance, geography, the environment, international development and political economy, as the centre's academic staff comprise a broad range of disciplines, including physicists, climatologists, economists, statisticians, political scientists and various other social scientists.