Hector Pollitt
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hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt
@hectorpollitt.bsky.social
49 followers 32 following 13 posts

Economist and macroeconomic modeller, working mainly on climate change. Advocate of economic pluralism. #CambridgeTradition #Complexity

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Economics 44%
Energy 29%
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hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · 13d
Bill Gates… the point is we don’t know what will happen when the climate warms. Every 0.1C increases chance of disaster.

But he probably thought nothing could go wrong with every Microsoft product.

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · 25d
Necessary for meeting carbon targets and with potentially huge social benefits. It surely is time for the UK to address the gap between gas and electricity prices.
acjsissons.bsky.social Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 26d
My colleague @mashley.bsky.social argued recently that directly reducing electricity bills (to reverse the levies) may be a better use of government money than cutting VAT.

Why? Because it opens up an affordable route to get off gas and further lower bills, via electric heating
Is removing VAT really the best way to cut energy bills?
Targeting electricity bills, subsidising bill-funded schemes, or a one-off debt forgiveness program offer more effective, fair, and sustainable solutions
www.nesta.org.uk

Reposted by Hector Pollitt

acjsissons.bsky.social
Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 26d
My colleague @mashley.bsky.social argued recently that directly reducing electricity bills (to reverse the levies) may be a better use of government money than cutting VAT.

Why? Because it opens up an affordable route to get off gas and further lower bills, via electric heating
Is removing VAT really the best way to cut energy bills?
Targeting electricity bills, subsidising bill-funded schemes, or a one-off debt forgiveness program offer more effective, fair, and sustainable solutions
www.nesta.org.uk

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · 27d
Ha! The old problem of how to interpret 'everyone optimizes except the energy sector'.

A lot can be fudged by assuming linearity and because models are mostly linear. But if we ever get to linking models where small differences get amplified over time/space we will really need to tighten.

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · 28d
I found Joel Mokyr's Culture of Growth interesting and well worth reading. It benefited from looking beyond standard economic issues. The bits trying to reconcile with textbook economics were painful... clearly appreciated by others though...

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · Aug 14
The Economist is going big on transformational scenarios at the moment. Three weeks ago it was AI, this week climate tipping points.

These are exactly the sorts of questions economists should be looking at - but often shy away from.

www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
The shutdown of ocean currents could freeze Europe
When climate change poses a strategic threat, it needs a strategic response
www.economist.com

Reposted by Hector Pollitt

pieterpauw.bsky.social
Pieter Pauw @pieterpauw.bsky.social · Aug 14
We're recruiting new associate editors at @climate-policy.bsky.social . Come and join our great team and contribute to our mission to advance an effective response to climate change

climatepolicyjournal.org/2025/08/11/c...
climate policy is recruiting new associate editors
Climate Policy is a world-leading peer-reviewed academic journal, publishing high quality research and analysis on all aspects of climate policy. Climate Policy aims to make high-quality resea…
climatepolicyjournal.org

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · Aug 6
Lack of productivity growth is a big deal in the UK. But there need not be a trade-off between productivity growth and net-zero. In fact the two may be complementary (and this can be modelled!). It’s time to change the story.

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · Aug 6
This drives productivity growth, almost by definition. We get more electricity, more mobility, more services, for lower cost. We can spend more on other things.

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · Aug 6
There is a critical difference between fossil fuels and new technologies.

We spend more on fossil fuels, we exhaust cheap supplies and prices go up. We spend more on new technologies, we learn and prices go down.

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · Aug 6
The paper focuses on two key assumptions that have dominated previous work: 1) green technologies are more expensive; 2) spending on green technologies means less spending on other things. Both are misguided.

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · Aug 6
Thread on this paper in @climate-policy.bsky.social last month. For so long we’ve heard about the ‘costs’ of reducing emissions. This paper adds to the growing evidence it doesn’t have to be like that.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The effects of low-carbon transitions on labour productivity: analysing UK electricity, heat, and mobility with a techno-economic simulation model
The low-carbon transition is generally portrayed as involving costs to the economy through lower productivity and generating benefits through avoided impacts of climate change. This mainstream econ...
www.tandfonline.com

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · Aug 5
Recent post on LinkedIn about the importance of interdisciplinary research - and not just for climate change.

It also introduces ICENS lab, which takes a broader perspective.

Thoughts and comments welcome!

www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-in...
Why interdisciplinarity matters
This is a post to introduce ICENS lab, a new interdisciplinary initiative: https://www.linkedin.
www.linkedin.com

Reposted by Du Toit, Robbie M. Andrew, Rupert Read , and 2 more

glenpeters.bsky.social
Glen Peters @glenpeters.bsky.social · Jul 28
Based on fossil fuel growth rates from the IEA Coal Mid-Year Update, July Oil Market Report, & Gas Market Report Q3, fossil CO2 emissions would grow around 0.8% in 2025, reaching another record high...

We are only half way through the year, but don't build too much expectation for peak emissions.
Figure showing coal, oil, and gas emissions from 1960, with a little red dot for 2025, with 0.5% growth in coal, 1% in oil, 1.6% in gas, and -1.1% for cement. These are all leap year adjusted since 2024 had one more day than 2025...

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · Jul 28
Thanks!

hectorpollitt.bsky.social
Hector Pollitt @hectorpollitt.bsky.social · Jul 27
Glad to be finally setting up here! I will mostly be covering ways to improve economics and modelling, especially on climate and energy issues. But expect some previews from the forthcoming book with Jean-Francois Mercure. And my return to blogging...