Industry

Climate Change & Sustainability

Climate change, the transition to net zero, and building resilient and sustainable communities are some of the defining challenges of our generation. Understanding and responding intelligently to the challenges of climate change is vital for governments, regulators, private sector businesses, investors, and market participants.

Talk to our climate team

For 20+ years, Frontier Economics has been at the forefront of climate change economic consulting. Offering unbiased, independent, analysis and specialist economic modelling to shape public policy, build resilient communities and respond to changes in the market. We pride ourselves on making this complex issue easier to understand and navigate using data and economics.

Climate change and emissions

We’re proud to have played a pioneering role in efforts against greenhouse gas emissions and towards net-zero goals. In 2002, our economic analysis supported the development of the world’s first mandatory broad based emissions trading scheme for the NSW Government, and we participated in the project behind the world’s first “big battery” for the South Australian Energy Plan in 2017.

Our legacy of leadership in climate change and energy modelling continues today with our models (such as Energy42) considered some of the leading tools shaping decision making in this sector.

Find out more about our economic consulting to the sector at our Energy & Renewables page.

Natural capital and biodiversity

Climate change and biodiversity loss are mutually reinforcing problems. Conserving and restoring biodiversity, or more broadly natural capital, is crucial for carbon balance and enhancing the planet’s resilience to climate-change related risks. Our work has supported innovative public policy and system design in the protection and restoration of natural capital including informing the WWF-Australia’s Tree Scorecard, and advising governments on feral animal management.

Building resilient communities

Governments and businesses are facing complex challenges in building resilient places for communities to thrive, that are sustainable in the long-term. Whether the challenge is the circular economy and waste management, or urban design and utilities management, such as the Wianamatta South Creek integrated water and land-use planning, we support decision making based on sound economic analysis.

Using economic analysis techniques like cost-benefit analysis, econometric modelling, game theory, and more, we generate, hypothesise and test the necessary evidence for informed decisions such as:

Public sector

Complex modelling for electricity, hydrogen and gas markets to find pathways to renewable transition.

Building business cases to value and support investment in biodiversity data collection and analysis.

Emissions trading scheme design, renewable energy targets, feed-in tariffs, energy efficiency schemes, and the impact of energy efficiency policies on energy demand forecasts.

Private land conservation, market design to facilitate private investment into biodiversity markets, and building business cases to value and support investment in biodiversity data collection and analysis.

Private sector

Advising on complex ESG, standards and strategy, including ISSB and TNFD.

Commercial valuations to calculate the return on investment and cost-benefit analysis on major projects.

Valuation of ecosystem services for land use planning or investment decisions.

Quantification of nature-related impacts of operations and investments.

Analysis of the economic, social and environmental costs of feral animals on natural habitats.