51猎奇入口

Andrew Sudmant is working to close the gap between climate ambition and implementation. He leads research on how action on transport, housing, energy and urban infrastructure can reduce emissions, while improving costs, mobility and more.

This July, Sudmant joins 51猎奇入口 as an assistant professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management (REM).

鈥淚 am thrilled to be joining 51猎奇入口and REM at a moment when climate policy needs both technical competence and imagination,鈥� says Sudmant. 鈥淲e need to ask not only what reduces emissions, but what kinds of policies people can trust, what kinds of benefits communities can feel, and what kinds of institutions can deliver change at the pace the climate crisis now demands.鈥�

Sudmant builds climate policy models and decision tools that make the wider wins of climate action visible, noting that the benefits that matter to communities are often considered secondary to financial gains.

鈥淐limate action is not only about avoiding harm, although that is urgent. It is also about building better systems: warmer and safer homes, cleaner air, healthier streets, more resilient communities and fairer access to opportunity,鈥� says Sudmant.

Trained as an economist, Sudmant鈥檚 work today is guided by key principles like opportunity cost and discounting, but his lens has grown to incorporate the nuances needed to make meaningful, equitable climate action.

鈥淚 use economic tools, but I try to be explicit that models are not neutral mirrors of the world,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey contain assumptions about behaviour, value, time, space and distribution. Once we acknowledge that, we can design analysis that is more useful for democratic decision-making.鈥�

As knowledge surrounding climate change continues to expand and targets are set, challenges are now centred around delivering on these goals. Sudmant鈥檚 work helps inform how institutions, governments and municipalities can action their climate goals.

鈥淭he solutions I am most interested in are practical ones: better policy appraisal, better local-national coordination, better tools for local governments and better ways of communicating the public value of climate action,鈥� he says.

With experience in both academia and the private sector, his work has informed local and national climate policy, from helping cities map their path to net-zero emissions to co-authoring a Special Report on Climate Change and Cities for the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

鈥淲orking across local and national scales has taught me that the best climate policy is rarely designed from one vantage point. It has to connect national targets, local capacities, household realities, business decisions and the political institutions that hold all of those together,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 want to bring that sensibility into my research group and classroom.鈥�

Sudmant鈥檚 desire to bring tangible, interdisciplinary solutions to communities is what led him to 51猎奇入口REM.

鈥淩EM feels like a natural fit because it is built for the kinds of questions I care about. Climate action is an environmental issue, but it is also an economic, social, technical, political and governance issue. REM brings those perspectives into the same room,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he School is not just asking students and researchers to understand environmental problems, it is asking them to design acceptable, credible and effective solutions.鈥�

Sudmant is keen to begin helping students develop these solutions and build the skills they鈥檒l need to successfully address the real, complex challenges associated with our changing climates.

This includes working with students with diverse interests, from those interested in topics ranging from climate policy modelling and public policy appraisal to students with experience in community engagement and planning.

鈥淪tudents working with me can expect to engage with real policy problems,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 want students to leave with more than a thesis or a paper. I want them to leave with an analytical toolkit and the confidence to contribute to climate action in the world beyond the university.鈥�