Environmental Economics

Our research

Land is a vital resource, supporting both natural ecosystems and the development of sustainable economies. As populations and human activity have risen, so has the need to manage land effectively. Without doing so, we become more vulnerable to the effects of climate change (such as food security, poverty and the reduced availability of clean water). LEEP helps leaders, businesses and communities anticipate and address these issues by putting the natural environment at the heart of their decision-making.

Our cutting-edge research includes:

• Integrated modelling of natural capital futures, applied to: woodland planting and carbon sequestration, renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, food demand and security, biodiversity net gain, connectivity, rewilding, sparing and sharing, intergenerational fairness.
• Natural capital valuation, applied to: recreation and health, water and air pollution, natural hazards and risks, regime shifts and tipping points, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, noise and disamenity.
• Environmental policy and mechanism design, applied to: agri-environment scheme design, food systems, biodiversity net gain, carbon sequestration, water quality.