Finance and Climate Change: A Critical Examination of the Role of the State
The primary objective of this project is to hold a small exploratory workshop on the role of the state in mediating the relationship between finance and climate change.
Project Summary
The workshop will bring together academics from a range of social science disciplines, including finance, ethics, political science, and development studies. The workshop will include both international and Norwegian researchers, approx. 18-20 in total. It will be held at Hukodden Restaurant on September 23/24 2010.
A secondary objective is to organize a public debate in Oslo on the role of the Norwegian pension fund in promoting a transition to a low-carbon economy. To be held on September 22 in the evening before the workshop, this public debate will include Norwegian and international expert panelists and ask what implications climate change has / should have for the Norwegian Pension Fund as a public institution.
In the medium- and long-term, we wish to use the workshop to foster research collaboration in Norway that explores the ethical, political, environmental, and development dimensions of government interventions in financial markets and its impact on climate change.
To enable us to expand the number of participants, we have applied for and received additional funds from Finansmarkedsfondet, a funding program adminstered by the Norwegian Research Council.
The workshop will strengthen existing research ties between SUM and the University of Waterloo's Centre for Global Governance Research (CGGR).
Milestones
April, 2010 : Reservations made, dates set.
April – May, 2010 : Invitations sent to potential participants
June, 2010 : List of participants finalized
Sept 22nd, 2010 : Public debate: Promoting Clean Energy: What Role for the Norwegian Pension Fund?, Litteraturhuset
Sept 23rd-24th, 2010 : Workshop: A Workshop on Finance and Climate Change: A Critical Examination of the Role of the State, Hukodden Restaurant
Organizers
The primary partners involved in hosting this workshop are Dr. Hilde Wisløff and Dr. Christopher Wright.
Dr. Hilde Wisløff is currently on leave at the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University, conducting research on the ethical dimensions of public pension funds. The workshop will enable her, and the Ethics Program at the University of Oslo where she is also based, to strengthen ties with other academic institutions.
Dr. Christopher Wright is a researcher at SUM, and course administrator for SUM 4022. His research focuses on the environmental dimensions of international bank lending, and international finance more generally. His most recent research has looked at the role of private investors in REDD – an international policy framework for financing reductions in deforestation.
Web Sites
- Centre for Development and the Environment
- The Ethics Programme at the University of Oslo
- Centre for Global Governance Research, University of Waterloo, Canada