Rupert Stuart-Smith

Dr. Rupert Stuart-Smith is a researcher at the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme within the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. He specializes in the legal implications of climate change impacts and climate attribution science.

His research focuses on quantifying climate change effects through legal and scientific frameworks, most notably documenting approximately 1,700 heat-related deaths in the Swiss canton of Zurich between 1969 and 2018 that were attributable to climate change. This groundbreaking work has been featured in major media outlets including Berner Zeitung, Switzerland's largest daily newspaper.

Dr. Stuart-Smith is co-directing the upcoming executive education course "Navigating Legal Risks and Opportunities of Climate Change" (September 2025) at Oxford, exploring how evolving legal frameworks affect businesses and financial systems. His work exemplifies the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme's mission to leverage legal mechanisms for addressing global sustainability challenges through multidisciplinary research with practical applications.