Office
School of Environmental Studies
Queen’s University
BioSciences Complex, Room 3134
Kingston, Ontario
Canada, K7L 3N6
kyla.tienhaara@queensu.ca
About Me
I am an interdisciplinary social scientist who studies the intersection between environmental governance and the global economy.
I am Canada Research Chair in Economy and Environment and Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental Studies and Department of Global Development Studies at Queen’s University.
One area of my work has examined investor-state disputes concerning environmental regulation that are brought to international arbitration under bilateral and regional investment agreements.
Another area of my research focuses on green stimulus/green recovery programs and efforts around the world to launch a Green New Deal (see dedicated research website: www.greennewdealinfo.com)
Routledge Handbook on the Green New Deal
In recent years, the Green New Deal has moved from relative obscurity to front and centre of policy discussions and public debates about how to respond to the climate crisis. It has been credited with radically changing the nature of the conversation on climate change and with re-energizing the environmental movement at a critical time. All Green New Deal proposals share an emphasis on the need for governments (rather than markets) to lead the energy transition. However, they differ in other respects. This Handbook analyses the fundamentals underlying all Green New Deals as well as exploring national and regional variations.
Latest Academic Publications
K. Tienhaara, R. Thrasher, B.A. Simmons, and K.P. Gallagher, 2022, “The Energy Charter Treaty’s Protection of 1.5°C-incompatible Oil and Gas Assets”, GEGI Policy Brief 021, Global Development Policy Center, Boston University.
K. Tienhaara and L. Cotula, 2020, “Raising the cost of climate action? Investor-state dispute settlement and compensation for stranded fossil fuel assets”, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), London.
K. Tienhaara, 2022, “Corporations: Business and Industrial Influence” in P. Harris (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of Global Environmental Politics (Routledge, 2nd ed) (substantial update of chapter written for the 1st edition), pp. 175-186.
Latest Opinion & Policy Work
- Why an oil firm’s legal win is bad news for climate actionKyla Tienhaara and Rachel Thrasher, Context 2022
- How treaties protecting fossil fuel investors could jeopardize global efforts to save the climate – and cost countries billions.R. Thrasher, B. Simmons & K. Tienhaara, 2022. The Conversation.
- Lessons from Australia show CCUS is about capturing public opinion and public finances, not carbonTienhaara, K. and J. Walker, 2022. National Observer.
- On climate change, Canada’s pension sector must demonstrate that both values and value matterDownes, P., A. Paras, S. Rutherford & K. Tienhaara, 2022. National Observer.
- COP26: experts react to the UN climate summit and Glasgow Pact(contributing author) The Conversation.
Teaching & Supervision
For 2022-’23 I’m teaching: ENSC 430: Honours Projects in Environmental Sustainability; DEVS 492: Economy and the Environment in the Global South, and; DEVS 365: Trade and Investment in the Global South.
CONTACT
For media inquiries, questions regarding graduate supervision, or anything else, please use the contact. I try to respond to messages as soon as possible.