Iain Staffell
Biographic Data
| ID | 6818903 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Iain Staffell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Iain |
| FAMILY NAME | Staffell |
| SIGNATURE | STAFFELL I |
| AFFILIATIONS | Imperial College London |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1012-7075 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 12 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Tracing inclusivity at UNFCCC conferences through side events and interest group dynamics
Inclusivity and transparency are the foundations of procedural justice in climate governance. However, concerns persist around the influence of business interest groups at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conferences of Parties (COPs). COPs have increased in size and complexity, obscuring agendas and organizational relationships. Here we analyse the discourse and networks of actors at COP side events from 2003 to 202…
Past socio-political transitions away from coal and gas show challenges and opportunities ahead
Transitioning away from fossil fuels presents substantial challenges, given the growing mismatch between pledges submitted to international climate negotiations and the mitigation strategies that limit warming to below 1.5 °C or 2 °C presented in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report. The scientific case for phasing out coal-fired electricity is clear, and many countries are progressing towards this. However, despi…
Spatial integration for firm and load-following wind generation
Wind power has considerable potential to decarbonise electricity systems due to its low cost and wide availability. However, its variability is one factor limiting uptake. We propose a simple analytical framework to optimise the distribution of wind capacity across regions to achieve a maximally firm or load-following profile. We develop a novel dataset of simulated hourly wind capacity factors (CFs) with bias correction for 111 Chinese provinces…
Diversify or die
Mitigating climate change requires an urgent transition of the oil and gas industry. We develop two typologies of the corporate strategy and diversification options for international oil companies (IOCs) in the sustainable energy transition. Data from semi-structured interviews with oil industry professionals are thematically analysed and considered in the context of the wider literature. The resulting framework of corporate strategy options is m…
What if we never run out of oil? From certainty of “peak oil” to “peak demand”
Blockchain solutions for carbon markets are nearing maturity
Carbon markets could hasten climate change mitigation by driving investment towards efficient decarbonization activities, but they face problems around trust, transparency, and uptake. Blockchain offers a foundational technology upon which new carbon markets can be built which address these shortcomings. This sector is still nascent, fragmented, and clouded by technology hype, all of which obscures objective judgement of its performance and suita…
Existing tools, user needs and required model adjustments for energy demand modelling of a carbon-neutral Europe
To achieve the European Union's target for climate neutrality by 2050 reduced energy demand will make the transition process faster and cheaper. The role of policies that support energy efficiency measures and demand-side management practices will be critical and to ensure that energy demand models are relevant to policymakers and other end-users, understanding how to further improve the models and whether they are tailored to user needs to suppo…
We don't want to be the bad guys”
The operating model of the global oil industry is not compatible with the goals of the Paris Agreement. For the industry, there is a fundamental tension between two competing mandates: the pressure to contribute to the social goal of climate change mitigation, and the need to perform financially and meet obligations to shareholders in activities that directly contribute to climate change. To explore the range of responses to the tension, we inter…
From the geopolitics of oil and gas to the geopolitics of the energy transition
The impact of the UK’s Covid-19 lockdowns on energy demand and emissions
Around the world, efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have profoundly changed human activity, which may have improved air quality and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. We investigated the impact of the pandemic on energy demand and subsequent emissions from electricity and gas throughout 2020 in the UK. The daily pattern of electricity demand changed in both lockdowns, with weekday demand shifting to that of a typical pre-pandemic weekend. E…
Stabilisation wedges
Fifteen years ago, Pacala and Socolow argued that global carbon emissions could be stabilised by mid-century using a portfolio of existing mitigation strategies. We assess historic progress for each of their proposed mitigation strategies and convert this into the unit of ‘wedges’. We show that the world is on track to achieve 1.5 ± 0.9 wedges relative to seven required to stabilise emissions, or 14 required to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-c…
From the geopolitics of oil and gas to the geopolitics of the energy transition
Diversify or die
Mitigating climate change requires an urgent transition of the oil and gas industry. We develop two typologies of the corporate strategy and diversification options for international oil companies (IOCs) in the sustainable energy transition. Data from semi-structured interviews with oil industry professionals are thematically analysed and considered in the context of the wider literature. The resulting framework of corporate strategy options is m…
We don't want to be the bad guys”
The operating model of the global oil industry is not compatible with the goals of the Paris Agreement. For the industry, there is a fundamental tension between two competing mandates: the pressure to contribute to the social goal of climate change mitigation, and the need to perform financially and meet obligations to shareholders in activities that directly contribute to climate change. To explore the range of responses to the tension, we inter…
The impact of the UK’s Covid-19 lockdowns on energy demand and emissions
Around the world, efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have profoundly changed human activity, which may have improved air quality and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. We investigated the impact of the pandemic on energy demand and subsequent emissions from electricity and gas throughout 2020 in the UK. The daily pattern of electricity demand changed in both lockdowns, with weekday demand shifting to that of a typical pre-pandemic weekend. E…
Stabilisation wedges
Fifteen years ago, Pacala and Socolow argued that global carbon emissions could be stabilised by mid-century using a portfolio of existing mitigation strategies. We assess historic progress for each of their proposed mitigation strategies and convert this into the unit of ‘wedges’. We show that the world is on track to achieve 1.5 ± 0.9 wedges relative to seven required to stabilise emissions, or 14 required to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-c…
What if we never run out of oil? From certainty of “peak oil” to “peak demand”
Blockchain solutions for carbon markets are nearing maturity
Carbon markets could hasten climate change mitigation by driving investment towards efficient decarbonization activities, but they face problems around trust, transparency, and uptake. Blockchain offers a foundational technology upon which new carbon markets can be built which address these shortcomings. This sector is still nascent, fragmented, and clouded by technology hype, all of which obscures objective judgement of its performance and suita…
Existing tools, user needs and required model adjustments for energy demand modelling of a carbon-neutral Europe
To achieve the European Union's target for climate neutrality by 2050 reduced energy demand will make the transition process faster and cheaper. The role of policies that support energy efficiency measures and demand-side management practices will be critical and to ensure that energy demand models are relevant to policymakers and other end-users, understanding how to further improve the models and whether they are tailored to user needs to suppo…
We don't want to be the bad guys”
The operating model of the global oil industry is not compatible with the goals of the Paris Agreement. For the industry, there is a fundamental tension between two competing mandates: the pressure to contribute to the social goal of climate change mitigation, and the need to perform financially and meet obligations to shareholders in activities that directly contribute to climate change. To explore the range of responses to the tension, we inter…
From the geopolitics of oil and gas to the geopolitics of the energy transition
Diversify or die
Mitigating climate change requires an urgent transition of the oil and gas industry. We develop two typologies of the corporate strategy and diversification options for international oil companies (IOCs) in the sustainable energy transition. Data from semi-structured interviews with oil industry professionals are thematically analysed and considered in the context of the wider literature. The resulting framework of corporate strategy options is m…
Spatial integration for firm and load-following wind generation
Wind power has considerable potential to decarbonise electricity systems due to its low cost and wide availability. However, its variability is one factor limiting uptake. We propose a simple analytical framework to optimise the distribution of wind capacity across regions to achieve a maximally firm or load-following profile. We develop a novel dataset of simulated hourly wind capacity factors (CFs) with bias correction for 111 Chinese provinces…
Tracing inclusivity at UNFCCC conferences through side events and interest group dynamics
Inclusivity and transparency are the foundations of procedural justice in climate governance. However, concerns persist around the influence of business interest groups at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conferences of Parties (COPs). COPs have increased in size and complexity, obscuring agendas and organizational relationships. Here we analyse the discourse and networks of actors at COP side events from 2003 to 202…
Past socio-political transitions away from coal and gas show challenges and opportunities ahead
Transitioning away from fossil fuels presents substantial challenges, given the growing mismatch between pledges submitted to international climate negotiations and the mitigation strategies that limit warming to below 1.5 °C or 2 °C presented in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report. The scientific case for phasing out coal-fired electricity is clear, and many countries are progressing towards this. However, despi…
Economics (8 works) · Business (7 works) · Engineering (7 works) · Computer Science (5 works) · Environmental Science (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Natural resource economics (4 works) · Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies (3 works) · Geography (3 works) · Global Energy and Sustainability Research (3 works)