The Net Zero Regulation and Policy Hub is a research initiative based at the University of Oxford.
It aims to build the evidence base and capacity to advance net zero, by driving effective, rigorous and equitable regulation and policy relating to net zero.
About
An Oxford research collaboration
The Hub is a collaboration between the Blavatnik School of Government and the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme (which is a joint initiative of the Oxford Smith School and Oxford's Law Faculty). It is part of the Oxford Net Zero strategic cluster. It was launched in October 2023 as a direct output of the Oxford Martin Programme on Net Zero Regulation and Policy with a £1m strategic funding grant from the Oxford Martin School. It is also supported by the EU Horizon ACHIEVE Project.
Workstreams
The Hub builds the evidence base and capacity to advance net zero regulation and policy through four intertwined workstreams:
- The Climate Policy Monitor (more information below)
- Research on key dilemmas holding back effective regulation for net zero
- Collaboration with governments to advance the frontier of best practice
- Education and capacity-building
The Climate Policy Monitor
To create a level playing field and smooth the path to net zero, a detailed understanding of how rules and policies align to climate goals is essential. Building detailed, comparable, accurate understandings of complex, diverse policy tools across multiple jurisdictions and domains is challenging but critical.
The Monitor provides an open-access mapping and expert assessment of net zero regulations in key domains across key economies. The Monitor is distinctive in four ways:
An in-depth framework for assessment: The Monitor collects up to 265 individual datapoints for each instrument. It organises this information into a framework that examines a regulatory domain’s ambition, comprehensiveness, and stringency.
Powered by technical and contextual expertise: The practical effect and meaning of a given regulation is highly dependent on domestic conditions. Therefore, technical on-the-ground legal experience is critical for understanding and analysing policy and law. To meet this challenge, the Monitor is powered by the Legal Expert Network, a global pro-bono network of top-tier law firms providing local expertise in each jurisdiction we cover.
Assesses both regulatory domains and the individual instruments within them: Understanding the actual effect of regulations often requires an assessment of a combination of various instruments, both those that target climate change specifically and those that do not.
Comparable information: The rich, granular nature of the Monitor’s data, collected within a single cohesive format, allows users to make substantive comparisons between jurisdictions.
