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)
Latest academic publications
“Investor-state disputes threaten the global green energy transition”, Science (for open access version, click here)
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.
It is divided into three parts. The first part examines the political economy of the Green New Deal focussing not just on how proposals will be costed but also on opportunities for a fundamental transformation of both national economies and the global economic system. The second part explores issues of justice, which are central to many Green New Deal proposals, including Indigenous rights, racial and gender equity, and justice for the Global South. In the third part, authors detail case studies of Green New Deal proposals and plans at the local, national and regional level.
This book will be an invaluable research and reference volume for students and scholars in economics, politics, sociology, geography, and environmental studies. It should also be of interest to those actively involved in climate and environmental policymaking.
Latest opinion and policy work
How treaties protecting fossil fuel investors could jeopardize global efforts to save the climate – and cost countries billions (with R. Thrasher and B. Simmons) (The Conversation), 5 May 2022
Lessons from Australia show CCUS is about capturing public opinion and public finances, not carbon (with J. Walker) (National Observer), 6 April 2022
The tale of the dead oil pipeline and the zombie trade agreement (Monitor Magazine), 3 December 2021
Image by Kenny Louie from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons