Paul Watkiss is an SEI research associate. He is the former director of the Policy Group of AEA Technology Environment and has over fifteen years experience of managing multi-disciplinary research and consultancy projects in environmental and climate change policy.

Paul has extensive expertise in environmental economics and sustainability, with leading knowledge in external costs analysis, policy appraisal, cost-benefit analysis, and evaluation.

His recent expertise and research interests focus on the full costs of climate change and adaptation, and how this can inform policy.

Paul led the recent UK Defra funded project on the Social Cost of Carbon: Uses in Policy Assessment, which quantified the social costs of climate change and developed a risk based approach for application in project and policy appraisal (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/carboncost/aeat-scc.htm). He has also been researching the costs and benefits of adaptation policy, focusing on the consideration of adaptation in an economic framework (towards cost-effective and proportionate adaptation).

His research expertise also covers the co-benefits of air quality, and he has practical policy experience in the energy, transport, water, waste and agricultural sectors.

Paul has led numerous major studies for the European Commission, UK government and local authorities. He has written over 100 publications, reports and conference papers.

Publications

• Can ‘1°C of climate change adaptation’ replace ‘1°C of mitigation’? Why economic models can’t solve policy dilemmas (Policy brief - 2012)

• The Economics of Low Carbon, Climate Resilient Patterns of Growth in Developing Countries: A Review of the Evidence (Report - 2010)

• Climate policy and inter-linkages between adaptation and mitigation (Book chapter - 2010)

• AdaptCost Project: Analysis of the Economic Costs of Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (Report - 2010)

• Economics of Climate Change Kenya (Project report - 2009)

• Economics of Climate Change in Rwanda (Report - 2009)

• Adaptation: Needs, Financing and Institutions (Paper - 2008)

• The social cost of carbon: Valuation estimates and their use in UK policy (Journal article - 2008)

• Adaptation to climate change: Why is it needed and how can it be implemented? (Policy brief - 2008)

Complete list of publications »

Projects

• Mediation

  
  

• AdaptCost

  
  

• Economics of Climate Change in East Africa

  
  

• ClimateCost - The Full Costs of Climate Change