Between 1996 and 2000 Ben attended Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, where he studied Environmental Management and Technology. As well as sciences and environmental policy and ethics, this course included a significant economic element. It was during this time that Ben realised the critical role that economics plays in building a sustainable future. However, his final year project was not economics-based; rather, it examined the links between ocean circulation and climate variability, a topic that has been the subject of increasing interest in recent years.
Upon graduation, Ben worked as an environmental engineer for an Edinburgh firm of consulting engineers in the waste management industry.
Since May 2003, Ben has been employed as a researcher and policy adviser with the Green Group of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. He mainly works with Mark Ballard MSP on finance and public services, and Shiona Baird on enterprise, energy and waste. He also advises on climate change issues. In the two years since the last Scottish election, the Green MSPs have been active in promoting an alternative model of green economics in Scotland, beginning with the use of an alternative economic indicator to GDP. These ideas have been listened to with increasing interest by MSPs of other parties.
Ben convenes the Economics Working Group of the Scottish Green Party; issues discussed recently include national and international carbon trading schemes.
