Summer School on Climate Economics, Sustainable Finance, and AI Analytics

This two-day Summer School brings together perspectives from economics, finance, accounting, and data analytics to explore climate policy, ESG, sustaimable finance and AI-driven analytical tools. Designed for students and early-career researchers, the programme combines academic lectures, applied sessions, and policy-orientated discussion. Particpants may attend in person at Durham University or online.

Climate change and the transition to sustainable energy systems and reshaping economic policy, financial markets, corporate reporting, and regulation. This two-day Summer School explores how economics, finance, accounting, regulation, and data analytics can contribute to the transition to a low-carbon economy. Through a combination of academic lectures, applied sessions, and policy-orientated discussions, participants will engage with key topics including carbon pricing and emissions trading systems, ESG disclosure and sustainability reporting, climate and transition risk, sustainable finance, climate econometrics, and AI tools for analysing climate and sustainability data. The programme provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the economic, financial, regulatory, and analytical dimensions of sustainability and climate change.

• Explain the economic rationale for climate policy intervention and compare major policy instruments, including carbon taxes, emissions trading systems, and voluntary carbon markets.
• Assess how climate policy, regulation, and financial systems interact in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
• Understand the role of ESG data, sustainability reporting, and disclosure frameworks in measuring climate-related risks and sustainability performance.
• Identify key challenges related to ESG measurements, transparency, assurance, and greenwashing.
• Evaluate sustainable investment, climate finance, and energy-transition finance without focusing on detailed portfolio construction
• Apply empirical and quantitative approaches used in climate, energy, and sustainability research, including policy evaluation and forecasting methods.
• Use AI and data-analytics tools to analyse climate, and sustainability-related data and reports
• Critically discuss interdisciplinary approaches linking economics, finance, accounting, regulation, and data science in the context of climate change and sustainability.

• Hybrid delivery: participants may attend in person at Durham University Business School (The Waterside Building, Riverside Place, Durham, DH1 1SL, UK) or online
• Sessions combine lectures, applied examples, case studies, and guided discussion
• Applied methods, econometrics, and AI are integrated into the relevant applications sessions
• Students are encouraged to bring research questions, dissertation ideas, or project interests for discussion. Students will have the opportunity to present their ideas or research papers in a dedicated session of the Symposium
• Particpants attending the required sessions on 11-12 July will receive a certificate of attendance

• PHD Students
• Masters Students, primarily economics and finance
• Early-career researchers

Durham University Business School, The Waterside Building, Riverside Place, Durham, DH1 1SL, UK. Suggestions for accomodation: participants are encouraged to arrange aaccomodation in Durham city centre or within walking distance of Durham University Business School. Recommended areas include Durham City Centre, Riverside Place, Elvet, Claypath, and areas close to Durham railway station.

There will be an optional dinner on Friday 10th July, check back here for more details.

Monday 13 July - Tuesday 14 July 2026, Durham University.

To apply, please complete this google form.

There are no prerequisites for this Summer School. We encourage all students to also enrol in the adjacent Symposium on Sustainability and Geopolitics (GOOGLE FORM), where they will have the opportunity to present their research.