Many industrialised nations are moving away from coal as an energy source, and China has ambitious plans to reduce the share of coal in its energy mix.

Under strong global climate change action, demand for traded coal would fall, and reduce the returns to coal exporters. On the other hand, coal demand from India and many other emerging economies is growing strongly. Major investments in coal mining and export infrastructure are in the pipeline in Australia, and global demand trajectories will affect their economic returns. Will the current wave of coal investments turn into ‘stranded assets’, affecting returns of shareholders – or are the rumours of the demise of coal greatly exaggerated? In this forum, leading academic experts will present analysis and perspectives.

Ben Caldecott is a Programme Director and Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, where he directs the Stranded Assets Programme. He was Head of Policy at investment bank Climate Change Capital. Ben read economics and specialised in development and China at the University of Cambridge and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Prof John Hewson AM is Chair in the ANU Tax and Transfer Policy Institute. Professor John Hewson was the Leader of the Federal Opposition, Professor of Economics at UNSW, and Dean of the Macquarie Graduate School of Management. He has been Chairman/Director of a host of public and private companies including major banks and superannuation funds. He is also active in the charitable and not-for-profit sector. He is chair of The Asset Owners Disclosure Project.

For more information: ccep.anu.edu.au