Research Projects

Below are the main projects that I am currently working on or that have concluded. Click for more information.

Global Governance of Renewable Energy

The massive uptick in the use of renewable energy is a global trend, particularly wind, solar PV, and lithium-ion batteries for Electric Vehicles. This project seeks to identify the impacts from the transition to renewables globally as we rapidly respond to the climate emergency. It includes the following lines of enquiry: 

1. What does the renewable energy transition mean for communities, ecosystems and developing countries that export minerals for renewables?

2. What global governance initiatives exist for regulating the mining of critical minerals for renewable energy?

3. How is lithium extraction for electric vehicles being regulated within global supply chains?

4. How is nanotechnology being used for renewable energy and how much do we understand its social, economic, and environmental impacts?

5. What impedes fossil fuel dependent developing states from transitioning to renewables?

6. How do global markets affect the take up of renewable energy?

Environmental Justice and International Grievance Mechanisms

Can international grievance mechanisms deliver environmental justice? For 25 years the World Bank has had its Inspection Panel to provide recourse for grievances from project affected communities. Yet physical violence, loss of property and livelihoods, and harmful impacts on indigenous peoples continue to occur as a result of projects financed by the Multilateral Development Banks.

Accountability in Global Environmental Governance (AGEG)

This project seeks to build a path-breaking map of accountability gaps and their causes in global environmental governance. The AGEG is a collaborative network of scholars from all over the world that will advance our research on the analytical problem of accountability in earth system governance.

Accountability of the Multilateral Development Banks

This project examines the rise, spread and efficacy of accountability mechanisms that have been created by Multilateral Development Banks to redress the negative impacts of development projects on local communities. I have consulted for the Asian Development Bank on improving outreach for their Accountability Mechanism and presented my work at the 2014 meeting of the accountability mechanisms in London.

Greening the World Bank Group

In my first book I detailed the process of greening the World Bank Group. This research research project is now complete.