Report about the 22nd Annual Green Economics Institute Oxford Conference-  by Naina Harish July 2026
This weekend, I had the privilege of speaking at and chairing a panel at the GEI annual conference held at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University, exploring the evolving role of law in shaping a sustainable future.
The panel brought together perspectives on how the law can continue to adapt to global challenges, specifically at the intersection between economic development and environmental protection. A key theme was to highlight the importance of legal frameworks to provide a structure for transparency, accountability and responsibility.
I was fortunate to hear from and engage with inspiring speakers including Craig Simmons MBE , whose work focuses on sustainable business and environmental innovation; Baroness Natalie Bennett, former Leader of the Green Party, and Vesco Paskalev , Professor of Law, who spoke about the regulation behind lab- grown meat.
Alongside the panel, I also delivered a speech alongside Yzabelle Mitchell  to reflect on the importance of empathy within society. At a time when empathy is portrayed as a weak point of civilisation in media outlets, understanding different perspectives remains crucial  to sustaining effective legal systems. Empathy does not stand in opposition to technological development and economic growth, but instead helps ensure that progress is still rooted in human values.
I am incredibly grateful to the Green Economics Institute for the opportunity to contribute to these important discussions and to meet so many inspiring individuals working across law, economics, policy and sustainability.
These conversations reinforced my belief in the evolving role of law not only as a mechanism for resolving disputes, but as a tool for building a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive future.
Naina Harish August 2026

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Report from Hannah Thorneloe 

22nd Annual Green Economics Institute Oxford Conference Report July 2026

During the month of July I was lucky enough to work under the Green Economics Institute researching ‘Degrowth’ within the meat industry. I conducted research alongside Emma Maria Rossi to produce a document titled: “Degrowing the Meat System: An Analysis of the Trends, Harms and Alternatives to Meat Overconsumption”.

I presented this research at the 22nd Annual Green Economics Institute conference at the start of August, where the research was also published alongside documents produced by other interns.

During the conference, I was inspired to hear from speakers such as Baroness Natalie Bennet, the former leader of the Green Party. The Baroness spoke about a fascinating and highly important private member’s bill she was progressing through the House of Lords on Nature’s rights.

Engaging with speakers from the conference was not only thoroughly enjoyable but hugely satisfying as people with so many different specialities came together in the name of a safer future for our planet and all whom inhabit it.

From my experience I have realised the importance of dialogue and human connection to create a platform for a more sustainable future. I endeavour to embody this going forward within my studies and future career.

I am hugely grateful to the Green Economics Institute and for this opportunity and look forward to working with them again in the future.

Hannah Thorneloe

August 2026

 

SB64 DELEGATION REPORT

Two Days in Bonn: Inside the UN’s June  Bonn SB64 June 2026 Climate Talks

 

Report by Delegation Member Reuben Sass ·

In June, I spent two days at SB64, the UN’s mid year climate talks in Bonn, as a member of the Green Economics Institute’s delegation. Here’s what stood out:

SB64 is the halfway point in the UN climate calendar: two weeks of negotiations in Bonn between COP30 in Belém, Brazil and COP31, which meets in Antalya, Turkey this November. It rarely makes headlines, but it’s where the groundwork for the next COP gets laid (or doesn’t). I was there as a member of the Green Economics Institute delegation. For two days I collaborated with YOUNGO (the UNFCCC Children and Youth Constituency) to see how our demands measured up against what other NGOs and government representatives were pushing for.

GEI went to Bonn carrying nine demands: NDCs aligned with 1.5°C, and for global heating to be capped at this, loss and damage finally agreed and implemented, a real and complete fossil fuel phase out, climate justice treated as social justice, the Paris rulebook to be followed, agree a renewables clause, shift to sustainable agriculture, and corporations held to a polluter pays principle.

It was reassuring to find that these were close to the mainstream of what NGO groups were arguing for too. YOUNGO echoed GEI’s demands for NDC alignment with 1.5°C, and with social justice in the form of a Just Transition. Climate Analytics agreed that a complete fossil fuel phase out is necessary, not just net zero.

Our first event was a morning coordination meeting with YOUNGO. Here, young NGO delegates from organisations around the world (like ourselves), discussed the process through which they could best deliver a meaningful closing intervention. This ultimately aligned closely with GEI’s principles, with demands focussed around the tripling of climate finance and the implementation of a Just Transition Mechanism.

Over the two days, we sat in press conferences with organisations such as Greenpeace and Amnesty, watched SBI and SBSTA negotiations, and held conversations with other delegates.

One interaction that stood out was a negotiation for SBI11: Matters Relating to the Least Developed Countries. In the final session, the draft conclusion was blocked by the EU and the UK over a paragraph that stipulated that MDCs should fund 122 adaptation projects in LDCs. This we saw as contradicting GEI’s demand for a polluter pays principle, we decided to ask the UK delegate about her decision. She told us that the objection was purely procedural, claiming that it was not an appropriate topic to be brought up in such a document. This said, she would not give a direct answer on what the UK’s position on this clause would be, had it been brought up somewhere else.

Two things stayed with me on the plane home. The first is just how slow this all is. Two weeks of negotiation over a single paragraph, and it still fell apart (in the case of SBI 11).

The second is where the conversation keeps landing: session after session on implementation in the Pacific, Africa, Southeast Asia, South America. I observed no conversations specifically about implementation in Global North countries, despite these being the ones that overwhelmingly drive emissions. It’s hard not to come away feeling that accountability is being quietly outsourced to the places least responsible for the problem.

For GEI, I think it was very beneficial to hold conversations with other organisations and find that we have many of the same goals. It has helped to build connections and opened the door to potential future collaboration.