By: Saira Afzal
Opened in 2025, the Global School of Sustainability (GSoS) at LSE promises to lead on social science expertise concerning the possibility of a sustainable future. The new school, which has been supported financially by alumnus Lei Zhang, builds on the work of the Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, and academic research undertaken by departments across LSE.
Chaired by Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, the GSoS will lead various themes and special projects such as the hub for sustainability research at LSE. Bringing together academic and policy experts, the school will inform policy “to rapidly and equitably create the economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protections crucial to ensuring a sustainable future”. The strategy board, composed of “global leaders” in the area, are leading various projects and themes committed to answering important questions on building a sustainable future.
The GSoS operates on five central themes, related to: sustainable growth, protecting nature and biodiversity, creating sustainable finance and more. One of the ventures of the school is to set up a ‘Sustainable Global Regulation Observatory’, a joint project between LSE Law School, Department of Geography and Environment, and the Grantham Research Institute which aims to create a database collecting the regulatory approaches of governments towards climate change and the environment. The observatory will “convene politicians, business leaders, civil society representatives, and regulators, to discuss the findings to drive impact and change.”.
The GSoS is also gathering data on public perceptions about climate change and nature. The global climate and nature barometer project collects international data regarding survey respondents’ “perceptions of changes in climate and the natural environment, how they view their consequences in terms of economic and health outcomes, and their willingness to take action and/or support public action.” The survey will be conducted in 13 countries, and. tThe project will be part of a future research programme to understand how public opinion matters in the context of climate change.
Further, the International Growth Centre (IGC) recently announced its plans to work with the GSoS to launch a Climate and Growth initiative and strengthen focus on climate finance. Jonathan Leape, Executive Director of IGC, said the IGC “has a long tradition of building partnerships across LSE, to achieve a more sustainable and inclusive future for everyone”.
On Tuesday 18 March, GSoS will be hosting an event in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House titled “Growth, innovation and singularities: are we sustainable?”. The Department of International Development and GSoS will collaborate, hosting a guest lecture by Professor Geoffrey West, Santa Fe Institute, on whether super exponential growth in the world can be sustained in the future.
Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, the Global School of Sustainability’s inaugural Chair, said:
“The Global School of Sustainability will shape ideas and understanding around the most important challenges of our time. It builds on LSE’s outstanding research, international spirit and identity, and global reach. It will lead research, guide, and inform policy, and bring scholars and practitioners both public and private together.”
“The barriers to progress are largely in economics, society, and politics, the subjects in which the LSE excels. GSoS will offer impact in the short term – these issues are urgent – and build understanding and capacity, including from its students, over the medium and long term.”
“Upcoming opportunities for students to work with us will include scholarships and student research assistant roles, alongside new collaborative study modules across LSE and a packed events programme.”
