Ewan McGaughey

Ewan McGaughey is a Professor of Law at King's College London specializing in economic, social, and environmental rights, with focus on natural resources, energy, transport, housing, and agriculture enterprises—the chief sources of greenhouse gas emissions. He concurrently serves as a research associate at the Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge, and maintains visiting positions at institutions including UC Berkeley, University of Sydney, Kyushu University (Fukuoka), and Paris School of Economics.

His academic credentials include:

• London School of Economics
• Humboldt University of Berlin
• King's College London

McGaughey's doctoral thesis examined institutional investment, pension funds, and real investors' rights in corporate governance. His research centers on accelerating climate action through legal frameworks, with core emphases on:

• Climate liability in oil/gas and electricity sectors
• Renewable energy transition and grid regulation
• Building/housing decarbonization standards
• Corporate directors' climate duties
• Fossil fuel divestment litigation
• Agricultural and forestry law reform

His 2025 policy work analyzes the landmark McGaughey and Davies v. USS Ltd case, establishing precedent for beneficiary derivative claims in climate-related pension fund litigation. This research demonstrates how legal mechanisms can enforce corporate accountability for climate damage through pension governance structures.

McGaughey co-organized the UK's largest crowdfunded court case against the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), achieving reversal of 30% pension cuts despite procedural setbacks on fossil fuel divestment. He remains active in climate justice movements and provides advisory services against polluters and their financiers, bridging academic research with frontline climate litigation strategies.