The next 15 years will be critical, as the global economy undergoes a deep structural transformation that will determine the future of the world’s climate system. It will not be “business as usual”. The global economy will grow by more than half, a billion more people will come to live in cities, and rapid technological advance will continue to change businesses and lives.

Low-carbon and climate-resilient growth is possible. The capital for the necessary investments is available, and the potential for innovation is vast. What is needed is strong political leadership and credible, consistent policies.

But without urgent action, warming could exceed 4°C by the end of the century, with extreme and potentially irreversible impacts.

This report lays out how countries across the world can reduce the risks of climate change and achieve high-quality, resilient, and inclusive economic growth.

Michael joined IPPR as a visiting fellow in January 2016, initially leading IPPR’s work on energy, transport and climate change, and then acting as interim research director before taking up the position of director of the IPPR Commission on Economic Justice.

Michael is an economist and visiting professor in the School of Public Policy at University College London. From 2004–2007 he was a member of the Council of Economic Advisers at the Treasury, and from 2007–2010 a special adviser to the prime minister, with responsibility for energy, environment and climate policy. From 2010–2015 he advised governments and others on international climate change policy in the run-up to the UN Climate Conference in Paris in December 2015. He was a founder and senior adviser to the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, for whose reports Better Growth, Better Climate (2014) and Seizing the Global Opportunity (2015) he was a lead author.

Image courtesy of interviewee. April 24, 2017