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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · 9d

Oxford Sustainable Finance Group & Theia Finance Labs are working together on an exciting new initiative. 'Silicon Boundaries' are thresholds where the benefits of AI and related technologies are outweighed by their contributions to societal instability: mailchi.mp/cgfi/invitat...

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · 23d

It was wonderful to host Ruth Davis, the UK’s first nature envoy, at the University of Oxford on Friday where she gave a wonderfully thoughtful and expansive speech on nature that was simultaneously challenging and inspiring, as well as deeply personal. A treat! Recording and transcript to follow.

Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · 24d

The world needs a strong Japan, and Japan’s Green Transformation programme (“GX”) can be a cornerstone of that strength: www.nikkei.com/article/DGKK...

日本のGXを世界のモデルに　英オックスフォード大学サステナブルファイナンス・グループディレクター　ベン・カルデコット - 日本経済新聞

日本の「グリーントランスフォーメーション（GX）」は、国際的にも最も野心的な脱炭素の取り組みの一つに見える。政府は2023年からの10年間に総額150兆円超を動員する計画を掲げる。そのうち20兆円はGX経済移行債によって調達し、これを呼び水に約130兆円の民間投資を誘発する方針だ。制度設計と財源確保は一体的に構築されている。今後導入される炭素に関する課徴金や排出量取引制度（ETS）の有償オーク

www.nikkei.com

Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Sep 4

Geological storage needs to be stewarded wisely, more wisely than this research implies. A fraction of that estimated will be accessible at a price society is willing to pay. Carbon removal budgeting is needed to optimise the use of this scarce resource. on.ft.com/4nigq4Z

Carbon capture set to be less useful in tackling climate change, scientists warn

CO₂ stored underground will be at risk of leaking back into the atmosphere, study finds

on.ft.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Sep 2

Delighted to be hosting Ruth Davis, the first UK Special Representative for Nature, for a lecture @UniofOxford on 3 Oct 2025. Opportunity to hear directly from Ruth on the UK's priorities for nature ahead of COP30 and following UNGA week. Register here: www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/event/lectur...

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Aug 20

Yet more inflation statistics show that the UK is more vulnerable to the drivers of inflation than peer economies. This report, from a project I chaired, had some excellent supply side proposals to fix the problem: ukonward.com/reports/targ...

Target Practice | Onward

Supply side solutions to deliver stable prices and overcome economic stagnation

ukonward.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Aug 18

Delighted to be confirmed as an @ipcc.bsky.social Coordinating Lead Author for the Finance Chapter of AR7 WGIII. Looking forward to working as part of the IPCC and with members of the wider climate finance community who will contribute over the next few years www.ipcc.ch/assessment-r... @ox.ac.uk

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Aug 16

Over 2 days we interrogated polarisation and populism, litigation risk, the promise and perils of AI, and the future of carbon markets, among many other things. Each of the summit sessions is available to watch here: sustainablefinance.ox.ac.uk/summit/video...

Summit Session Recordings 2025 | Sustainable Finance at Oxford

Couldn't attend the Oxford Sustainable Finance Summit in 2025? Watch the summit session recordings here.

sustainablefinance.ox.ac.uk

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Aug 16

A recalibration of sustainable finance is underway. We hosted our third Oxford Sustainable Finance Summit on the theme of reinvention and renewal. If you missed #OSFS25, you can check out some highlights here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_AY...

Oxford Sustainable Finance Summit 2025 highlights

YouTube video by OxfordSmithSchool

www.youtube.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Jul 24

We mapped all 117,116 of England’s farms – here’s why that matters for transition finance and net zero www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/news/we-mapp...

We mapped all 117,116 of England’s farms – here’s why that matters for transition finance and net zero

Dr Hassan Aftab Sheikh explains the potential impact of his new research, which mapped farms across England. "We see this foundational work as a first step in providing open-source information for fin...

www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Jul 23

Extreme weather drives food price surges across the globe on.ft.com/4lDrSYl

Extreme weather drives food price surges across the globe

Unusual climatic events are directly linked to short-term spikes in cost of basic foodstuffs, study shows

on.ft.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Jul 15

Excited to welcome participants to our 3rd Oxford Sustainable Finance Summit this week. Theme is Reinvention & Renewal. Progress is not linear or assured. Our task is to confront realities head-on and identify practical pathways that make progress. sustainablefinance.ox.ac.uk/summit/

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Jul 14

Extreme weather is the UK's new normal, says Met Office www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Met Office: Extreme weather the UK's new normal

The UK has a notably different climate compared with just a few decades ago, the Met Office says.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Jun 17

Global Banks Increase Fossil-Fuel Funding - WSJ www.wsj.com/articles/glo...

Global Banks Increase Fossil-Fuel Funding as Climate Pledges Crumble

New report shows that banks poured nearly $900 billion into financing coal, oil and gas projects in 2024.

www.wsj.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · May 21

European and UK pension funds drive transatlantic split on sustainable investing on.ft.com/4k5C4bu

European and UK pension funds drive transatlantic split on sustainable investing

Number of mandates under review over asset managers’ record is growing, consultants say

on.ft.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · May 4

BoE tells banks and insurers to fix climate risk ‘gaps’
on.ft.com/3EQn9Cv

BoE watchdog tells banks and insurers to fix climate risk ‘gaps’

Most lenders did not consider the issue a material danger except for the ‘reputational risk’, PRA said

on.ft.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Apr 30

Climate impacts will worsen - it is a question of whether they are terrible, really bad or just bad. It is a no brainer to scale up investment in adaptation. This will save money and spur economic activity. Climate resilience is a competitive advantage. www.theccc.org.uk/2025/04/30/t...

The country is not prepared for climate impacts, say advisors - Climate Change Committee

There is now unequivocal evidence that climate change is making extreme weather in the UK more likely and…

www.theccc.org.uk

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Apr 29

New satellite will see through clouds to 'weigh' Earth's forests www.bbc.com/news/article...

New satellite will see through clouds to 'weigh' Earth's forests

The new satellite will be able to see through clouds and forest canopies.

www.bbc.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Feb 27

"State Street loses £28bn of assets to Amundi and Invesco over ESG goals. US asset manager previously managed all of The People’s Pension’s £33bn in assets" www.ft.com/content/541c...

www.ft.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Feb 19

The next Oxford Sustainable Finance Summit is taking place on Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th July 2025. Registration is now open! Find out more here: sustainablefinance.ox.ac.uk/summit/

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Feb 15

“…while China added a record 356GW of wind and solar electricity-generating capacity in 2024, it also began building coal power plants with 94.5GW of capacity…” on.ft.com/4jUZyQQ

Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Feb 10

Risk of breach of 1.5C of global warming here sooner than expected, studies find on.ft.com/4hUmspL

Risk of breach of 1.5C of global warming here sooner than expected, studies find

Without stringent emissions cuts the world is ‘most probably’ already within the period defined in the Paris accord

on.ft.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Feb 5

Jeff Bezos’s $10bn Earth Fund cuts ties with climate group... Potentially just the start of a major shake up in climate philanthropy as public and private donors backfill USAID and other cuts, and some US tech philanthropists pivot www.ft.com/content/c3bf...

Jeff Bezos’s $10bn Earth Fund cuts ties with climate group

Decision to stop backing SBTi comes as Amazon founder seeks to curry favour with Donald Trump

www.ft.com

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Jan 24

This is terrible news. Mikkel was a real sustainability leader and innovator, who played a key role in developing high integrity carbon markets, among many other things. He will be greatly missed, including by colleagues at CIX and ⁦‪DBS Bank. www.businesstimes.com.sg/esg/climate-...

Climate Impact X’s ex-CEO Mikkel Larsen dies at 50 - The Business Times

THE former chief executive officer of Climate Impact X, Mikkel Larsen, died unexpectedly at the age of 50 on Thursday (Jan 23), the carbon exchange confirmed with The Business Times. Read more at The ...

www.businesstimes.com.sg

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Ben Caldecott @bencaldecott.bsky.social · Jan 19

GFANZ is clearly at a crossroads, as are some of the finance sub-sector alliances that it originally consisted of. They can all remain effective, but what are their strategies for doing so?