Highlights of Misum’s climate work
CO2 Lock-In exhibition at Stockholm School of Economics by the Stockholm-based artist duo Bigert & Bergström, October 2020, SSE Art Initiative. Image by Jean-Baptiste Béranger.
The 26th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP26), the United Nations Climate Change conference, is underway in Glasgow this week, gathering government delegations (though with notable exceptions this year) as well as non-governmental actors like business and finance representatives, research institutes, youth groups, NGOs, activist groups, artists, civil society under one roof. What is the goal of the COP26 conference? To get countries to increase the commitments they made in Paris back in 2015, when they agreed to work towards reaching net zero emissions by 2050 and limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Other goals of the summit include making progress on climate finance, phasing out coal, and advancing nature-based solutions.
Climate science sits at the basis of the goals set during COPs, through landmark reports as the ones from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). As a research center grounded in interdisciplinary sustainability work, Misum’s entry point into climate research is cross-disciplinary, aiming to look at the interconnections between the climate crisis as well as other global social sustainability challenges.
At Misum, we contribute to the body of knowledge on climate-related issues via the work of several of our affiliated researchers, and we engage with local and international stakeholders on translating climate research into climate action through our outreach work. Below you find some highlights in recent climate work from Misum.
A snapshot of some of our policy reports and ongoing research projects
- A report outlining the connections between the bond market and the climate, co-led by Emma Sjöström, Misum Sustainable Finance Co-Director, identifies how investors can contribute positively to climate change-related investments.
- A report on transforming sustainability accounting for a fossil free economy, written by Torkel Strömsten, Misum Accounting Frameworks Platform Director, at the commission of Finansinspektionen.
- A round-up of five measures debated by economists for reducing carbon emissions, written by Misum Affiliated Researcher Julius Andersson.
- Ongoing research studies on the impact of carbon pricing on carbon emissions in different European contexts by Marion Leroutier, Misum Postdoc Fellow, and Laszlo Sajtos, Misum Affiliated Researcher. Find out more about Marion’s research ‘Carbon Pricing and Power Sector Decarbonisation: Evidence from the UK’ as part of the newly established Misum Working Paper Series.
- A forthcoming research article on Financial Literacy in the Age of Green Investment by Misum affiliate Anders Anderson, which will soon be turned into a Misum Academic Insight.
- A new and exciting research collaboration between Misum, Doconomy and Flowe that aims to explore the impact on consumer behaviour of carbon conscious purchasing trends. This research project is led from Misum by our research affiliates Pamela Campa and Julius Andersson.
A few examples of our outreach and stakeholder engagements related to climate impact
- On October 8, Misum hosted the second Misum Annual Forum and this year the theme was 'Responding to climate change - challenges and possible solutions'. We were honoured to have notable speakers including Nobel laureate Prof. Joseph Stiglitz, Prof. Elke Weber and Prof. Laura Starks sharing their expert insights on climate-focused topics. Forum highlights and recordings are available here.
- In May 2021 we hosted the high-level webinar Bending the global emissions curve, exploring Sweden’s climate policy opportunities and responsibilities with Swedish and international government representatives (e.g. Jytte Guteland and Anders Ygeman) as well as academics (Prof. John Hassler) and practitioners (Dr Elina Scheja). The webinar recordings are available here.
- On November 18 Misum will participate in the Bright Green Summit, a high-stake event organised by AmCham Sweden as a rapid response to COP26. Misum Affiliated Researcher Laszlo Sajtos is moderating one of the panels. You can register for a free digital ticket (select AmCham member – Sweden in the form).
Climate research and engagement is not work done in silos, rather often based on inter- and trans- disciplinary projects involving academics, practitioners, students, the civil society. We would like to celebrate the climate work done at the Stockholm School of Economics by Misumers as well as other departments and research institutes, and to encourage SSE students to engage with climate research as a basis for much-needed climate action.