Biography
Pu Yang is a postdoctoral researcher in Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) at the Energy and Power Group. She works on the CCG Advancing GIS Modelling of Integrated Systems Analysis workstream (WS3a), which involves identifying High Impact Economic Opportunities (HIEOs) and assessing the social impact of energy-related decision-making. She is also a research associate at the Sustainable Finance Centre at the University of Exeter, working on a project examining internal carbon pricing.
Pu Yang's research is focused on promoting ambitious emission reductions by recognising the benefits of low-carbon transition and utilising various levels of (national, sectoral, and firm-level) carbon pricing. Her work in this area has resulted in several high-impact publications (e.g., One Earth, Global Environmental Change) and get widely cited by policy documents and newspapers. She has received numerous prestigious awards and scholarships, including those from UCL, CSC, GBCC, and IIASA, which reflect the quality of her work and her contributions to the field.
Prior to Oxford, Pu Yang was a research fellow at University of Exeter. She obtained her PhD in climate change economics at UCL Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction (BSSC) after completing a BSc in Information Management and Information Systems and an MSc in Energy Economics and Climate Policy.
Research Interests
Pu Yang's research interests lie at the intersection of climate policy, low-carbon technology, and carbon finance.
Climate Policy
Allocation of future carbon budgets is always a core topic for international climate conferences. Pu Yang’s research has developed a new perspective to review the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) from a cost-benefit perspective. Treating emission reduction as a solely economic behaviour motivated by avoiding future economic damages from climate change, her analysis suggests that the proposed NDCs from India and Russia are bringing more serious future climate damage than the cost to avoid emissions.
Her papers also investigate the barrier for countries to ratify NDCs, equitable negative emissions for NDCs to be consistent with the Paris Agreement, and the impact of risk aversion in climate policy-making.
Low-carbon technology
In her current project, Pu Yang focuses on the social return of applying low-carbon technologies, specifically green hydrogen. She has supervised an MSc student and conducted a survey in China to identify risk factors in distributed wind power. Through her research and projects, she is working towards a more sustainable future by promoting low-carbon technologies and identifying potential challenges and solutions in their implementation.
Carbon finance
Pu Yang is currently working with Exeter Sustainable Finance Centre colleagues to explore the drivers and effectiveness of internal carbon pricing. Her research focuses on understanding the motivations behind corporate carbon pricing strategies and assessing the impact of these policies on emissions reductions. By investigating the potential benefits and limitations of internal carbon pricing, she aims to inform more effective and sustainable climate finance practices.
Current Projects
- Climate Compatible Growth (CCG)
- The RBC Global Asset Management Sustainable Investment Research Programme
Research Groups
Related Academics
Climate uncertainty impacts on optimal mitigation pathways and social cost of carbon
Smith CJ, Al Khourdajie A, Yang P & Folini D (2023), Environmental Research Letters, 18(9), 094024-094024
BibTeX
@article{climateuncertai-2023/9,
title={Climate uncertainty impacts on optimal mitigation pathways and social cost of carbon},
author={Smith CJ, Al Khourdajie A, Yang P & Folini D},
journal={Environmental Research Letters},
volume={18},
pages={094024-094024},
publisher={IOP Publishing},
year = "2023"
}
A systematic literature review of carbon footprint decision-making approaches for infrastructure and building projects
Fang Z, Yan J, Lu Q, Chen L, Yang P et al. (2023), Applied Energy, 335, 120768-120768
BibTeX
@article{asystematiclite-2023/4,
title={A systematic literature review of carbon footprint decision-making approaches for infrastructure and building projects},
author={Fang Z, Yan J, Lu Q, Chen L, Yang P et al.},
journal={Applied Energy},
volume={335},
number={120768},
pages={120768-120768},
publisher={Elsevier BV},
year = "2023"
}
Health benefits of traffic-related PM<inf>2.5</inf> and CO reduction—a case study of Tianjin, China, from 2015 to 2019
Chen Y, Ran Z, Wang YN, Liu X, Yang P et al. (2023), Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health
BibTeX
@article{healthbenefitso-2023/1,
title={Health benefits of traffic-related PM<inf>2.5</inf> and CO reduction—a case study of Tianjin, China, from 2015 to 2019},
author={Chen Y, Ran Z, Wang YN, Liu X, Yang P et al.},
journal={Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health},
year = "2023"
}
Using crowdsourced data to estimate the carbon footprints of global cities
Sun X, Mi Z, Sudmant A, Coffman D, Yang P et al. (2022), Advances in Applied Energy, 8
BibTeX
@article{usingcrowdsourc-2022/12,
title={Using crowdsourced data to estimate the carbon footprints of global cities},
author={Sun X, Mi Z, Sudmant A, Coffman D, Yang P et al.},
journal={Advances in Applied Energy},
volume={8},
year = "2022"
}
Solely economic mitigation strategy suggests upward revision of nationally determined contributions
Yang P, Mi Z, Yao Y-F, Cao Y-F, Coffman D et al. (2021), ONE EARTH, 4(8), 1150-1162
BibTeX
@article{solelyeconomicm-2021/1,
title={Solely economic mitigation strategy suggests upward revision of nationally determined contributions},
author={Yang P, Mi Z, Yao Y-F, Cao Y-F, Coffman D et al.},
journal={ONE EARTH},
volume={4},
pages={1150-1162},
publisher={Elsevier BV},
year = "2021"
}
The impact of climate risk valuation on the regional mitigation strategies
Yang P, Mi Z, Coffman D, Cao Y-F, Yao Y-F et al. (2021), JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION, 313
BibTeX
@article{theimpactofclim-2021/,
title={The impact of climate risk valuation on the regional mitigation strategies},
author={Yang P, Mi Z, Coffman D, Cao Y-F, Yao Y-F et al.},
journal={JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION},
volume={313},
number={ARTN 127786},
year = "2021"
}
Modeling myths: On DICE and dynamic realism in integrated assessment models of climate change mitigation
Grubb M, Wieners C & Yang P (2021), WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-CLIMATE CHANGE, 12(3)
BibTeX
@article{modelingmythson-2021/,
title={Modeling myths: On DICE and dynamic realism in integrated assessment models of climate change mitigation},
author={Grubb M, Wieners C & Yang P},
journal={WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-CLIMATE CHANGE},
volume={12},
number={ARTN e698},
year = "2021"
}
Carbon emissions in countries that failed to ratify the intended nationally determined contributions: A case study of Kyrgyzstan.
Yang P, Cui C, Li L, Chen W, Shi Y et al. (2020), J Environ Manage, 255, 109892
BibTeX
@article{carbonemissions-2020/2,
title={Carbon emissions in countries that failed to ratify the intended nationally determined contributions: A case study of Kyrgyzstan.},
author={Yang P, Cui C, Li L, Chen W, Shi Y et al.},
journal={J Environ Manage},
volume={255},
pages={109892},
year = "2020"
}
Risk management in distributed wind energy implementing Analytic Hierarchy Process
Zhou S & Yang P (2020), RENEWABLE ENERGY, 150, 616-623
BibTeX
@article{riskmanagementi-2020/,
title={Risk management in distributed wind energy implementing Analytic Hierarchy Process},
author={Zhou S & Yang P},
journal={RENEWABLE ENERGY},
volume={150},
pages={616-623},
year = "2020"
}
Social cost of carbon under shared socioeconomic pathways
Yang P, Yao Y-F, Mi Z, Cao Y-F, Liao H et al. (2018), GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE-HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONS, 53, 225-232
BibTeX
@article{socialcostofcar-2018/,
title={Social cost of carbon under shared socioeconomic pathways},
author={Yang P, Yao Y-F, Mi Z, Cao Y-F, Liao H et al.},
journal={GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE-HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONS},
volume={53},
pages={225-232},
year = "2018"
}
