Essays on Sustainability Implications of US Presidential Election, and on Role of Indigenous Communities in Forest Conservation, Win 2025 Academic Excellence Prizes

Written By Elliot Frankal

Chronos Sustainability Prizes at LSE awarded to students whose work shows greatest potential to have a positive social or environmental impact.


Chronos Sustainability, the award-winning sustainability consultancy, and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) have announced the winners of prizes to recognise academic excellence in sustainable business, finance and environmental policy.

Established in 2023, the Chronos Sustainability Prizes are awarded in undergraduate and postgraduate categories to those students whose analysis and recommendations are considered to have the greatest potential positive social or environmental impact.

The prizes, judged by a panel of internationally recognised sustainability experts, are awarded to students in the Department of Geography and Environment who, as part of their coursework, are required to prepare a policy brief on a key area of sustainability significance and to offer recommendations to key stakeholders such as regulators, investors and companies. This year’s winners were:

Postgraduate category [1]

  • Winner: Julia Ricketts for ‘Does the Limited Integration of Local Forest Communities in Global Environmental Policies Like REDD+ Undermine their Equity, Effectiveness, and Long-Term Sustainability?’

  • Highly commended: Michael Spiekermann for ‘Can Carbon Credits Under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement Overcome the Integrity Issues Associated with Voluntary Carbon Markets?’

  • Finalist: Dakota De Freitas, Arka Chanda, Merle Riebandt  

      

Undergraduate category[2]

  • Winner: Eden Hyman for ‘The Impact of the 2024 US Presidential Election on the Future of Sustainable Investing’

  • Highly commended: Emily Boyes for ‘The Impact of the 2024 US Presidential Election on the Future of Sustainable Investing’ [Candidates chose same topic]

  • Finalist: Nguyen Nga, Meiqi li, Tianyu Zou.

Many congratulations to all the students for their excellent work, and best wishes to all in their future careers in sustainability.

We would like to thank the following for generously giving their time and expertise:

 

Dr Rory Sullivan, CEO, Chronos Sustainability and Chair of the judging panel for the postgraduate prize said:

“In a world where so much is changing so quickly, sustainability policy needs to be capable of adapting to changes in the political and geopolitical environment. The importance of effective and resilient policymaking was a central theme across all five of the shortlisted postgraduate papers. The students offered practical, implementable recommendations across issues from climate change to public involvement in environmental decision-making. Their work demonstrates how academically-grounded but practitioner oriented research can offer transformative insights to the policy process.’

 

Nicky Amos, Managing Director of Chronos Sustainability and Chair of the judging panel for the undergraduate prize said:

“Both recipients of our undergraduate awards this year offer timely and topical insights into the impacts of the 2024 US Presidential Election on the future of sustainable investing. All five shortlisted undergraduate essays engaged deeply and rigorously with issues from the value of long-term corporate climate change targets, to how investor stewardship can drive progress on nature conservation. The quality of their work suggests a bright future for the sustainability sector.”

Richard Perkins, Associate Professor in Environmental Geography, LSE said:

“These prizes offer valuable recognition of the work being done by our fantastic students in the Department of Geography and Environment. They demonstrate how the knowledge and critical thinking skills taught in our environment courses align with the real-world implications and opportunities presented by sustainability. The Department genuinely appreciates the vision and support of Chronos Sustainability in this important initiative.”

 

Pictured: Postgraduates (top picture) and undergraduates (lower picture) receive their award with judges present at the ceremony .

Finalists for the undergraduate category pictured with judges present at the awards ceremony

Finalists for the postgraduate category pictured with judges present at the awards ceremony


Notes 

·       The Chronos Sustainability Prizes are just one way that Chronos is supporting the next generation of sustainability professionals. It also:

o   Publishes the freely-available Chronos Sustainability Sustainable Finance Careers Guide – a collaboration with LSE to help young professionals find pathways into sustainable finance. 

o   Provides work experience to undergraduate and postgraduate students, training them on benchmarking and other research tools.

o   Supports the Knepp Wildland Foundation and rewilding project, including co-sponsoring Knepp’s Young Guides programme, a stand-alone scheme to train and empower the next generation of nature recovery leaders.

 For more see: https://www.chronossustainability.com/our-positive-contributions

[1] Open to postgraduate students completing MSc degrees in Environmental Economics and Climate Change, Environmental Policy and Regulation, and Environment and Development, and taking the course GY465 (Concepts in Environmental Regulation).

[2] Open to undergraduate students completing BA/BSc degrees in the Department of Geography and Environment, Department of Accounting, and Department of Economics, and taking the course GY326 (Sustainable Business and Finance).

Elliot Frankal
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