Jean-François Mercure

Professor of Climate Policy, University of Exeter Business School (UK), Director of the unit Exeter Climate Policy

Speaker Biography:

Jean-Francois Mercure is  Professor of Climate Policy at the University of Exeter’s Business School and director of Exeter Climate Policy, the university’s initiative to support policy-makers on climate issues. He was previously Senior Climate Economist at the World Bank. His research focuses on the economics and finance of low-carbon transitions, and climate-related risks. He develops models and methods for public policy appraisal for assessing the effectiveness and macro- and socio-economic impacts of diverse types of low-carbon, energy and climate policies. He works with scientists of all disciplines, and translates complex science for public policy use. He helped raise awareness of and provide analytics for assessing transition risks and the macroeconomic impacts of stranded fossil fuel assets. He has authored two books, the first entitled ‘Complexity Economics for Environmental Governance’ and the second, forthcoming early 2026 with Hector Pollitt, is titled ‘Rethinking Climate Policy: Innovation and the economics of resource creation’. 

Abstract:

A global transition towards zero-carbon economies is existential, but is capital-intensive and incurs financial and economic risk. During a transition, the mid-transition period, when economies transform fastest, is when the potential is highest for global macro-financial volatility and instability. This includes risks of stranded assets, commodity price instability, unsustainable current accounts and sovereign risk, socio-political instability and conflict between nations. Starting off with low resilience following the COVID pandemic, many nations may face problems during a global transition. Here we look at the implications of a tipping point towards electric vehicles in China and Europe, and potentially globally, on global oil markets and their ramifications for various economies worldwide. Assessing risks and opportunities in a complex world is a challenging task, but scenarios and foresight can help make sense of what is going on, and what could happen. Scenarios can help assess risks, opportunities, and resilience. We thus also make the case for ministries of finance to use global scenarios and various analytical methods for assessing country-level resilience in a changing global macro-financial landscape. 

About the UT Energy Symposium: 

The UT Energy Symposium is a weekly guest lecture series that is both free and open to the public and available for course credit. 

In an effort to provide a multi-disciplinary platform for UT faculty and students to interact on the most pressing energy issues facing our world, the Energy Institute sponsors the UT Energy Symposium (UTES), which will enter its 30th semester in spring 2026.  

The UTES serves as a “convener” for the campus community, uniting students interested in energy issues with faculty and others working on sustainable energy security. Students who register for the symposium receive one credit hour for the 15-week seminar course, which is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. 

Ongoing themes for UTES include climate change policy, innovation and diffusion of energy technologies, low-carbon technology options and status, and behavioral aspects of energy consumption. 

Each UTES talk will be recorded and posted on this page and on the Energy Institute YouTube channel following the event.