Is Net Zero Development Possible? - 6th Adrian Fernando Memorial Lecture
Join us for the 6th Adrian Fernando Memorial Lecture on Friday 23 June 2023, featuring Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia as the keynote speaker.

Is Net Zero Development Possible?

What policies are required for climate conscious growth?

17.00 – 18.15 Lecture and Q&A
18.15 – 19.00 Reception

The dangers of climate change are now well communicated and widely understood. However, the willingness to take tough policy decisions is lacking, especially where there are concerns around how they could impact economic growth. In this year’s Fernando lecture, one of India’s leading economists and former civil servants, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia will discuss the key policies that are required to make progress toward net zero in India and other developing economies, and what stands in their way. He will address how developing economies should position themselves globally to ensure they benefit from the economic opportunities that decarbonisation brings, and whether trade policy should play a role here.

Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia is an economist, civil servant and former Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Government of India (2004-14). He is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Economic and Social Policy, New Delhi. He has held several positions in the Indian Government and been a key figure in India’s economic reforms since the mid-1980s. He began his career at the World Bank and joined the Indian Ministry of Finance in 1979. He subsequently served as Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, as Commerce Secretary, Finance Secretary and as a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. In 2001, he was appointed the first Director of the IMF’s Independent Evaluation Office. He is a member of the Governing Board of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, New Delhi. He has authored several articles and his memoirs “Backstage: The story of India’s High Growth years” was published by Rupa publications in 2020. Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia graduated from Delhi University and has an MA and an MPhil in Economics from Oxford University.
Date: 23 June 2023, 17:00 (Friday, 9th week, Trinity 2023)
Venue: St Anne's College, Woodstock Road OX2 6HS
Venue Details: Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre
Speaker: Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia
Organising department: Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment
Organiser contact email address: events@smithschool.ox.ac.uk
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-net-zero-development-possible-6th-adrian-fernando-memorial-lecture-registration-615666243307
Cost: Free
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Samantha Lam