Jesse Burton
Senior Associate
Jesse is a Senior Associate of E3G, providing analysis and policy advice on coal transitions in South Africa and globally.
She is based in Cape Town, South Africa where she also works as a researcher at the University of Cape Town.
Jesse’s academic work has focused on the South African coal and electricity sectors. Recent research has quantified fossil fuel subsidies for South Africa and the politics of their support; the cost and greenhouse gas implications of future coal investments; the costs and risks of stranded assets in the South African energy sector; and the economics of coal-fired power and coal mining.
Jesse led the South African team of the Coal Transitions research project, which examined the effects on the coal sector of mitigation policies consistent with South Africa’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and 2°C pathways. She has recently developed a Paris Agreement-compatible electricity plan for South Africa and examined potential just transition interventions to protect coal workers and communities in the context of this rapid transition.
She holds an MSc in Energy Studies from the University of Cape Town and a BA in History, Classics, and Journalism & Media Studies from Rhodes University.
She is based in Cape Town, South Africa where she also works as a researcher at the University of Cape Town.
Jesse’s academic work has focused on the South African coal and electricity sectors. Recent research has quantified fossil fuel subsidies for South Africa and the politics of their support; the cost and greenhouse gas implications of future coal investments; the costs and risks of stranded assets in the South African energy sector; and the economics of coal-fired power and coal mining.
Jesse led the South African team of the Coal Transitions research project, which examined the effects on the coal sector of mitigation policies consistent with South Africa’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and 2°C pathways. She has recently developed a Paris Agreement-compatible electricity plan for South Africa and examined potential just transition interventions to protect coal workers and communities in the context of this rapid transition.
She holds an MSc in Energy Studies from the University of Cape Town and a BA in History, Classics, and Journalism & Media Studies from Rhodes University.
