I am a critical geographer exploring intersections of climate change policy, conservation, markets and justice. My work asks how, and by whom, carbon is quantified, standardized and commodified for carbon removal and nature-based climate interventions. I have particular expertise in carbon markets and offsets, climate finance, climate tech, UNFCCC processes, and climate and environmental justice.
I am Associate Director of the Soil Carbon Solutions Center at Colorado State University, where I founded the Carbon Finance Bootcamp, and hold a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability.
I regularly serve as subject-matter-expert in interviews with major media including the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Washington Post, TIME, the New York Times, and others.
Lauren Gifford - Select Publications
2024. “Defining Climate Finance Justice.” Geography Compass, with Sauls, L.
2024. “A just world on a safe planet: A Lancet Planetary Health–Earth Commission report on Earth-system boundaries, translations, and transformations.” Lancet Planetary Health, with Gupta, J, Bai, X, Liverman, D, Rockström, J, et al.
2023. “Safe and just Earth system boundaries.” Nature, with Rockström, J, et al.
2023. “Governing for a safe and just future with science-based targets: opportunities and limitations.” Climate and Development. Gifford, L, et al.
2023. “Earth system justice needed to identify and live within Earth system boundaries.” Nature Sustainability, with Gupta, J, et al.
2022. “Impacts of Meeting Minimum Access on Critical Earth Systems amidst the Great Inequality.” Nature Sustainability, with Rammelt, C, et al.
2022. “Make greenhouse-gas accounting reliable — build interoperable systems.” Nature. with Luers, A, et al.
2022. “Achieving a nature- and people-positive future.” One Earth, with Obura, D, et al.
2021. “Reconciling safe planetary targets and planetary justice: Why should social scientists engage with planetary targets?” Earth System Governance, with Gupta, J, Liverman, D, et al.
2021. "The AAG’s emissions problem: Achieving carbon neutrality in a post-offset world.” Professional Geographer (PDF here)
2020. “You can’t value what you can’t measure:’ A critical look at forest carbon accounting,” Climatic Change (PDF here)
2020. “Climate finance justice: International perspectives on climate policy, social justice, and capital,” Climatic Change special issue editor, with Chris Knudson
2019. “No Pixel Left behind: Toward Integrating Earth Observations for Agriculture into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Framework.” Remote Sensing of Environment, with Whitcraft, A, Becker-Reshef, I, et al.