About the Laboratory

The main function of the Laboratory is to institutionalise the study of climate change in the context of the problems of the world economy: the transition to a new normal of economic growth, the rapid development of technologies in the energy sector, the worsening problem of inequality, and the development of economic policies related to climate issues.

In this regard, the Laboratory's activities are interdisciplinary in nature. The choice to focus on the links between climate change and various aspects of the global economy is based on an understanding of both the theoretical and practical significance of this kind of research. For example, the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded for integrating climate change into analyses of long-term economic growth. Linking the solution of global climate change and economic growth is crucial for the fulfilment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily the goals of overcoming poverty and inequality. The aim of the Laboratory's project activities is to assess the interdependence between decarbonisation of the global economy to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement targets on the one hand, and economic growth and opportunities to address economic development challenges on the other. In this regard, the main tasks include:

• Identifying the main directions and assessing the impact of decarbonisation of the world economy on economic growth
• Assessing the linkages between decarbonisation and other sustainable development issues, in particular poverty and inequality
• Identifying ways to improve global governance of climate change and find forms of emission regulation at the global and regional level that would have minimal negative impact on poverty and inequality

The Laboratory is well integrated into the educational and research process of the School of World Economy and other units of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs of the HSE University. A separate component of the Laboratory's mission is to disseminate knowledge about the economics of climate change and popularise this research area—which is rapidly developing in all leading countries—in Russia.