Economics of Climate Organisation

The Economics of Climate Organisation (ECO) serves as a bridge between frontier economics and climate policy. A global, collaborative initiative between leading economists and policy makers, it aims to inject new thinking into the design and implementation of climate policies by leveraging analytical advances and the best possible data from all fields of economics.

Climate change is no longer constrained by a lack of ambition. The challenge is implementation: designing the institutions, financing mechanisms and policy frameworks that can deliver a just and effective transition at scale. By placing mitigation and adaptation at the core of economic policy, ECO aims to support decision-makers in designing policies that address climate challenges at scale and speed and facilitate improvements in human welfare.

Many of the most consequential decisions over the coming decade, from mobilising climate finance and strengthening carbon markets to decarbonising power systems and protecting tropical forests, are fundamentally economic questions. They are also questions that matter most for emerging markets and developing economies, where the transition must be achieved sustainably alongside continued economic growth and poverty reduction. Yet the economic expertise needed to address them remains fragmented across universities, institutions and disciplines, while policymakers often lack timely access to the evidence and expertise required to inform critical decisions.

ECO brings together economic expertise to help bridge this gap, connecting research with policy priorities and supporting decision-makers in developing practical, evidence-based approaches to climate action. Its work spans areas including adaptation, energy, deforestation, carbon markets and climate finance, with the aim of informing policy design and implementation across countries and international processes.

Our Partnership

ECO is hosted by the Economics of Environment and Energy (EEE) Programme at LSE, in collaboration with the Global School of Sustainability (GSoS) and the International Growth Centre (IGC).

ECO is co-led by Professor Robin Burgess (LSE) and Professor José Scheinkman (Columbia University). Its founding partnership includes researchers from LSE, Columbia University, Yale University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Chicago and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), alongside an expanding network of universities, researchers and policy partners around the world.

For general or media enquiries, contact Shruti Bhimsaria, Executive Director (ECO): s.bhimsaria@lse.ac.uk

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