Contributor(s): Professor Lord Stern | Over the next few years, we have a real chance to set a path towards a low-carbon future. It is the only realistic future for growth and for overcoming world poverty. The global economic downturn is an opportunity to invest in green technology while costs are lower. Nick Stern is IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government at LSE and chairman of LSE's new Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.