Carter Powis

A multi-disciplinary analysis of the role of transient negative emissions in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement

Carter Powis is a DPhil Student at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (SSEE), where he works with Dr. Stephen Smith, Dr. Cameron Hepburn, and the Oxford Net-Zero Initiative, conducting research on the role of transient negative emissions in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. Specifically, his research focuses on three areas: (1) quantifying the division of research, development, and financing initiatives across negative emissions approaches (both transient and permanent), and investigating how this differs from scenario modelling assumptions about the use of negative emissions in achieving climate goals; (2) understanding how the climate system responds to transient negative emissions under policy-relevant climate states; and (3) developing new metrics to aid in the pricing and accurate impact measurement of negative emissions. 

In addition to his doctoral studies, Carter works as an External Advisor for McKinsey & Company. Prior to starting his research, Carter was an Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company's Sustainability Practice, where he worked to help clients understand and respond to climate change. Carter also served as a core member of the COP26 Portfolio Alignment Team, which was created by the UN Special Envoy for Climate and Finance, Mark Carney, to help develop the tools necessary for the global financial sector to align their activities to the goals of the Paris Agreement. Carter holds an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford Environmental Change Institute, and MBA from the Said Business School, and a BA in Environmental Economics from the Royal Military College of Canada.