Adam Smith at the COP
Click below to see our Adam Smith at the COP photos
Adam Smith at the COP
What can the world learn from Scotland's most famous academic son?
Our Adam Smith at the COP evening lecture series took place across 3 days from the 8th, 9th & 10th November, 18:00-19:30 GMT in person at the University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School, Kelvin Gallery and online. During the events, we looked at the macroeconomic themes behind the COP26 negotiations. We also launched our unique Wealth of Nations in the 21st Century essay series, which takes Smith’s seminal work and updates it for the climate era.
Wealth of Nations in the 21st Century
During the 18th Century, the Scottish Enlightenment put Glasgow at the heart of world thinking. This year, as the world comes to Scotland, we ask what we can learn today from one of the great pioneers of the Scottish Enlightenment, the renowned economist and former professor at the University of Glasgow, Adam Smith.
Our essay series re-frames the climate emergency through the eyes of Adam Smith and takes inspiration from the 5 books of the Wealth of Nations:
Essay 1: ‘Of the Causes of Improvement in the productive Powers of Labour’ – Lord Desai
Essay 2: ‘Of the Nature, Accumulation, and Employment of Stock’ – David Pitt-Watson
Essay 3: ‘Of the different Progress of Opulence in different Nations’ – Usha Rao-Monari
Essay 4: ‘Of Systems of political Economy’ – Sir Anton Muscatelli
Essay 5: ‘Of the Revenue of the Sovereign or Commonwealth’ – Dr Zeti Aziz
This essay series was combined into a book and launched as part of the evening lecture series at the University of Glasgow. To order your copy, contact sam@globalethicalfinance.org
Video Highlights
How are financial institutions understanding the economics of climate?
Watch Seb Burnside, NatWest Group, and Jeremy Lawson, abrdn, discuss in our Chief Economists’ Fireside discussion as part of our Adam Smith at the COP evening lecture series.
They discuss how to properly integrate carbon pricing and natural capital into business practice and national accounts, as well as the role of governments and regulators.
Our Adam Smith at the COP evening lecture series took place across 3 days on the 8th, 9th & 10th November at the University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School, Kelvin Gallery and online.
Find out more about Adam Smith at the COP
100 Days to COP | Adam Smith at the COP | Sam Wheldon-Bayes
Watch GEFI’s Sam Wheldon-Bayes discuss our Adam Smith at the COP workstream with 100 days to go before COP 26 at Glasgow.
Radical Old Idea: The Future of Growth
How do we maintain hope in the face of climate despair?
Watch Prof. Tim Jackson, Director of CUSP | Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity for a Radical Old Idea conversation with Kaisie Rayner FRSA, Climate Change Lead at Royal London as part of GEFI’s Radical Old Idea Series.