Giles Atkinson

Professor Giles Atkinson is Professor of Environmental Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where he joined the Department of Geography & Environment in January 1999. In September 2024, he became the Acting Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. With over thirty-two years of professional experience in academia as an environmental economist, his specialist expertise focuses on sustainability economics and economic appraisal of environmental policies.

His research concentrates on key areas including:

• Wealth accounting and natural capital accounting methodologies
• Theory and practice of sustainable development metrics
• Distributional issues in environmental policy
• Economic aspects of regulating chemicals, particularly under UK/EU REACH

Professor Atkinson's scholarly work demonstrates a consistent focus on developing economic frameworks that incorporate environmental considerations into decision-making. His recent publications show increasing attention to distributional impacts of environmental policies, particularly regarding natural capital valuation and carbon taxation. His research bridges theoretical economic concepts with practical policy applications, addressing the challenges of implementing sustainability metrics in real-world governance contexts.

Professor Atkinson has been actively involved in environmental policy advisory roles throughout his career:

• Member of the UK Natural Capital Committee
• Member of the Policy and Technical Experts Committee for the World Bank's WAVES Partnership
• Member of the Advisory Board of UNEP's TEEB Review
• Current member of the expert body evaluating UK restrictions under UK REACH

His work has significantly contributed to the development of natural capital accounting frameworks and the integration of environmental considerations into economic decision-making at national and international levels.