Upton, Simon

Simon Upton is the environment director at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The environment directorate is responsible for Environmental Performance Reviews of member countries, the economic analysis of policy instruments used to improve environmental outcomes and a wide range of work related to water, biodiversity, climate and chemicals. Upton played a key role in the development of the OECD’s Green Growth Strategy.

The team he leads recently released the Environment Outlook to 2050 – a model-based analysis of the environmental consequences of business-as-usual growth at the global level. The directorate is now working to develop a better understanding of the economic costs of environmental damage and the benefits of taking pre-emptive action to limit that damage.

Upton is a former New Zealand parliamentarian whose political career, between 1981 and 2000, included nine years as a minister. As Environment Minister he chaired the 7th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and the 1998 meeting of OECD Environment Ministers.