Paul Ekins

Paul Ekins, OBE (born 1950) is a British academic in the field of sustainable economics, currently Professor of Resources and Environment Policy at University College London. He was formerly co-director of the UK Energy Research Centre (2004–2014). He is a former member of the Green Party.

Political career Ekins was a prominent member of the Green Party UK in the 1970s and 1980s. He left in 1986 after controversy over reforms he and others were promoting to streamline Green Party structures. This group, known as "Maingreen", was seen as a forerunner of the moves to reform the later Green Party of England and Wales party's internal structures by a later group known as Green 2000.

Career after politics Ekins has been a prominent green academic in the field of sustainable economics. He has also worked as a consultant. The Forum says: “When Paul Ekins set up the Sustainable Economy Unit as part of Forum for the Future back in 1996, he argued that ‘many of today’s environmental problems are really economic problems in disguise, and getting the economics right lies at the heart of any solutions agenda.’ He aimed ‘to show that radical moves towards environmental sustainability are compatible with prosperity’. This remains a central part of Forum's mission.”

He worked as head of the Environment group at the Policy Studies Institute.

He has worked as an advisor to the Environmental Audit Select Committee of the British House of Commons.

Author He is author of a number of books: