Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment
Encyclopedia
The Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (also known as the Smith School) is an interdisciplinary department of the University of Oxford
that brings together leaders from academia, government, and enterprise to address global environmental challenges. The Smith School was founded through a benefaction from the Smith Family Educational Foundation and officially opened in 2008. The first director is Professor Sir David King
, who served as the UK government's Chief Scientific Advisor from 2000 to 2007.
The Smith School has six centres of research and teaching focusing on specific environmental challenges:
At the core of the centres is the Futures Directorate, which works with the academic, business, and policy communities to deliver in-depth foresight analyses of 21st-century environmental challenges.
Each year the Smith School hosts a World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment. The inaugural Times
/Smith School World Forum was a three-day conference held in Oxford
in July 2009. Attended by more than 200 of the world's leading climate change experts, the conference focused on ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Guest speakers included former US Vice-President and Nobel laureate
Al Gore
, President Mohamed Nasheed
of the Maldives
, President Paul Kagame
of Rwanda
, former BP
chief executive Lord Browne of Madingley, Lord Anthony Giddens
, and Professor Jacqueline McGlade
of the European Environment Agency
.
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
that brings together leaders from academia, government, and enterprise to address global environmental challenges. The Smith School was founded through a benefaction from the Smith Family Educational Foundation and officially opened in 2008. The first director is Professor Sir David King
David King (scientist)
Sir David Anthony King FRS is the Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford, Director of Research in Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, Director of the Collegio Carlo Alberto, Chancellor of the University of Liverpool and a senior...
, who served as the UK government's Chief Scientific Advisor from 2000 to 2007.
Research
The Smith School has appointed fellows from a variety of disciplines in the sciences and social sciences, faculty associates from departments across the University, and visiting fellows from leading institutions in other parts of the world.The Smith School has six centres of research and teaching focusing on specific environmental challenges:
- Catastrophe Risk Financing centre
- Climate and Development centre
- Environmental Economics centre
- Environmental Sciences and Governance centre
- Low-Carbon Mobility centre
- Private Sector Transformation centre
At the core of the centres is the Futures Directorate, which works with the academic, business, and policy communities to deliver in-depth foresight analyses of 21st-century environmental challenges.
World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
/Smith School World Forum was a three-day conference held in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in July 2009. Attended by more than 200 of the world's leading climate change experts, the conference focused on ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Guest speakers included former US Vice-President and Nobel laureate
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, President Mohamed Nasheed
Mohamed Nasheed
Mohamed Nasheed is a Maldivian politician. He is the current President of the Maldives. He is the founder of the Maldivian Democratic Party and was its presidential candidate in the October 2008 presidential election, defeating long-time President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in a second round of voting...
of the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
, President Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Rwanda. He rose to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front , whose victory over the incumbent government in July 1994 effectively ended the Rwandan genocide...
of Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, former BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
chief executive Lord Browne of Madingley, Lord Anthony Giddens
Anthony Giddens
Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens is a British sociologist who is known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent modern contributors in the field of sociology, the author of at least 34 books, published in at least 29...
, and Professor Jacqueline McGlade
Jacqueline McGlade
Jacqueline M. McGlade is a leading marine biologist and environmental informatics professor. Her research focusses on the spatial and nonlinear dynamics of ecosystems, climate change and scenario development....
of the European Environment Agency
European Environment Agency
European Environment Agency is an agency of the European Union. Its task is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. It is a major information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public...
.