February Newsletter 2026
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In this month's newsletter, February 2026
envecon 2026: 20th March - Session 4 on Nature in conversation with other policy areas. Register for envecon here.
Monthly webinar: 25th February - 12:15-13:15 on Decarbonising heat: The impact of heat pumps and a time-of-use heat pump tariff on energy demand using data from Octopus Energy. Register here.
PhD Research Fellowships 2026
envecon 2026 Session 4
Nature in conversation with other policy areas
As environmental pressures intensify and distributional tensions grow, policymakers face an increasingly complex task: designing interventions that restore natural systems, accelerate decarbonisation, and improve social outcomes, all without allowing progress in one domain to undermine another. Join us for this compelling session that aims to highlight how environmental economics can inform more coherent and efficient public policy!
Alice Bartolini
Research Fellow in Natural Capital Accounting, University College London
The UK faces mounting challenges in managing freshwater resources efficiently and equitably. Responding to the priorities of the Independent Water Commission and the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, Alice Bartolini’s research presents a new UK freshwater ecosystem accounts developed under the UN SEEA-EA framework. Her work quantifies freshwater extent, condition, and ecosystem services, highlighting regional disparities in water quality and the substantial contribution of water ecosystems to national prosperity.
Dr Frank Venmans
Associate Professor, London School of Economics and Political Science
Despite a broad sentiment that decarbonisation is necessary, an optimal transition from a high- to low-carbon economy remains unresolved. This shift consists of complex dynamics beyond the marginal cost of abatement. Dr Venmans’ work explores climate policy optimisation by introducing new factors in transition modelling, such as the adjustment costs from dirty to clean capital, technological progress, and economic shocks. The results highlight that the optimal transition is fast and minimises stranded assets, strengthening the case for a higher near-term carbon price.
Jack Pezzey
Honorary Professor, Australian National University
With growing environmental crises and inequality across societies, how can we develop policies that address both without advancing one at the expense of the other? Drawing on the Tinbergen rule, the principle that each distinct policy objective requires its own dedicated instrument, Jack Pezzey evaluates how reliance on renewables expansion and electricity subsidies has complicated efforts to reduce both emissions and inequality. This research supports a more coherent policy mix centred on carbon pricing, redistribution, and targeted renewables compensation.
Decarbonising heat: The impact of heat pumps and a time-of-use heat pump tariff on energy demand
with Louise Bernard and Andrew Ribet Schein of Centre for Net Zero, UK
February 25, 12:15 - 13:15
In this webinar, Louise Bernard and Andrew Schein present their research (see here at NBER) offering the first large-scale causal evaluation of the impact of heat pumps on electricity demand and the role of time-of-use pricing in shaping consumption. Using detailed household adoption and consumption data from the Octopus Energy Group in the UK, the analysis estimates the effects of air-source heat pump installations and of a tariff designed specifically for heat pump users.
About Louise Bernard
Louise leads CNZ’s research on heat pumps and uses large-scale experiments and quasi-experimental methods to study energy transitions. She holds a PhD in Urban Economics from LSE and has worked with the World Bank, the Grantham Research Institute, and the University of Oxford.
About Andrew Schein
Andrew Schein is Director of CNZ’s Trials and Analysis team, leading field trials and quasi-experimental research with partners across Octopus Energy Group and externally, including Nesta, NESO, and OVO, with a focus on demand flexibility, decentralized energy, and technology adoption. Previously, Andrew held senior roles at the Behavioural Insights Team and Nesta and was an early employee at Bulb. He has also worked in environmental campaigning at Feedback, including helping launch Toast, a social enterprise turning surplus bread into beer.
PhD Research Fellowships 2026
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Are you interested in pursuing a fully funded PhD in economics, finance, climate policy, management, or behavioural science?
The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) is now inviting applications for its PhD Research Fellowships 2026 at the School of Economics and Business. Find further details on eligibility, project topics, supervision, and how to apply via the NMBU PhD Research Fellowships 2026 page.
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