Beliefs, evidence, and action towards the green energy transition
by Mark Freeman, Ben Groom, Frikk Nesje, and Gernot Wagner
I’m a climate economist at Columbia Business School and author of six books, including Climate Shock and Geoengineering: the Gamble. My research, teaching, writing, and speaking focus on climate risks and solutions. I write a monthly syndicated column, semi-regular FT case studies, run Columbia's Climate Knowledge Initiative, and generally try to keep busy and useful.
Check out my current preoccupations, connect on Bluesky, Mastodon, or LinkedIn, or let me email you with the latest.
Featured Posts (5 of 1,134)
Cementing Carbon
Constructing the Low-Carbon Future
Climate shift uncertainty and economic damages
by Romain Fillon, Manuel Linsenmeier and Gernot Wagner
How to Measure Climate Progress
Ending reliance on oil, coal, and gas, and embracing technologies that will only improve and become cheaper over time, is not just smart climate policy. It is the best way to improve economic competitiveness and human prosperity for decades to come.
Batterien statt Kraftwerke
Deutschland hat es versäumt, eine konsequente Energiepolitik für die Zukunft zu machen. Stattdessen lähmt eine übervorsichtige Industriepolitik den Wandel. So bleibt man abhängig – von China und den USA.
Projects (7 of 15)
Research
Published research in journals from Nature, Science, and PNAS to field journals across several disciplines, plus current working papers.
Teaching
Course syllabi, Columbia CaseWorks case studies, Financial Times mini-case studies, and other teaching materials.
I (co-)teach Business and Climate Change, the most popular elective at Columbia Business School taken by around 500 of 800 MBAs each year. I also teach Climate Policy and Climate Risk, and a travel course on Green Industrial Policy in Europe.
All my courses are offered in the spring term, including as block weeks, and, space permitting, are open to all Columbia University students through the regular cross-registration channels.
Columns
My monthly, globally syndicated column for Project Syndicate, translated into a dozen languages, and my earlier bi-weekly Risky Climate column for Bloomberg Green.
Geoengineering: The Gamble
"An important read." (The Sunday Times) — "A stark warning." (The Guardian)
Climate Shock
Read the NYT op-ed, the infamous pop quiz, our Salon feature, or Foreign Affairs and Atlantic essays. Watch the TEDx talk: “From Climate Shock to Geoengineering.”
Climate Knowledge Initiative
Columbia Business School initiative with the mission to translate rigorous analysis into actionable insights and help build consensus among key decision-makers, while unapologetically flagging where business and public interests diverge.
Audio & Video
Audio and video of radio and TV appearances, recorded talks, and other clips.